2017 Benanti Bianco Etna Superiore Pietramarina

The 2017 Etna Bianco Superiore Pietra Marina makes itself known with a beguiling bouquet that blends crushed oyster shells with rosemary, young apricot and hints of smoke. It’s deeply textural and elegant in feel, with ripe pit fruits that cascade across a core of zesty acids, as nuances of green citrus pinch at the cheeks. This leaves the palate buzzing with residual energy; fresh melon tones linger and are framed by a coating of salty minerality. While the 2017 shows a bit of extra ripeness from the warm vintage, it does so in such a seductive and balanced way. This is top-shelf Etna Bianco by every scope of the imagination. The Pietra Marina is an old-vines selection of Carricante from the Rinazzo Contrada on Etna’s eastern slope. It refines for 24 months on the lees in stainless steel vats prior to bottling.