Sicily, Italy
Benanti is a prestigious, historic winery, recognized as a pioneer of fine wine making on the Etna volcano. At the end of the nineteenth century Giuseppe Benanti began producing wine from local Etna grapes. Since those first vintages, generations of the Benanti family have been in love with making wine on the volcano, and have transformed their passion into mastery for enhancing the peculiarities of indigenous vines in a territory that is indomitable and diverse. The research and creation of authentic wines, capable of celebrating the Etna terroir in its various expressions, have become a distinctive feature of their production.
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Etna Bianco
| SKU | 28718 |
| Country | Italy |
| Region | Sicily |
| Type | White |
| Varietal | Carricante |
| Listing | Speculative |
| Case Config. | 6x750ml |
| Available In | BC AB |
Colour
Dark straw-yellow.
Aroma
Stone fruits, herbs and wildflowers.
Flavour
Bright, juicy flavours of stone fruits, lemon and sweet botanical herb. The long, saline finish offers intriguing hints of rosemary, minerals and cardamom.
Food Pairing
Antipasti, fish, seafood.
More Info
Carricante 100%, grown as alberello (free standing bush). This indigenous vine is cultivated only on Etna. Its name seems to be attributed by the vine-growers of Viagrande because of its characteristics of allowing a good, constant production over the years. The bunches, at ripeness are of average length, usually scattered; the grape is medium-sized with very pruinose skin and a green-yellowish colour.
Wine Enthusiast, Dec/2023
2022 -
"The nose is smoky and spicy, like lemon drizzled over grilled chicken, with bright herbal notes of saffron and tarragon providing levity. A citrusy saltiness defines the palate, while a continued herbaceousness provides warmth without sacrificing the freshness."
Wine Enthusiast, Dec/2023
2022 -
"The nose is smoky and spicy, like lemon drizzled over grilled chicken, with bright herbal notes of saffron and tarragon providing levity. A citrusy saltiness defines the palate, while a continued herbaceousness provides warmth without sacrificing the freshness."
Wine Spectator, Apr/2024
2022 -
"A fresh, salty white, creamy on the palate, with white blossom, lemon thyme and beeswax accents to the flavors of poached pear, crushed almond and Meyer lemon peel. Drink now through 2029. Tasted twice, with consistent notes."
Wine Spectator, Apr/2024
2022 -
"A fresh, salty white, creamy on the palate, with white blossom, lemon thyme and beeswax accents to the flavors of poached pear, crushed almond and Meyer lemon peel. Drink now through 2029. Tasted twice, with consistent notes."
Antonio Galloni's Vinous, Sep/2023
2022 -
"The 2022 Etna Bianco lifts from the glass with a bouquet that can best be described as liquid stone, complicated by lavender and lime. This is round and supple, showing lime-tinged orchard fruits and sweet spice. The 2022 finishes in a mineral note, tapering off fresh and with medium length."
Decanter, Jun/2023
2022 -
"Selected from vines grown between 700 and 950 metres above sea level on Etna's east and south slopes, this unoaked white combines ripe, floral and peachy characters typical of the warm southern slope with the crisp salinity found in the wines of the east slope. Spices and a note of banana lend complexity, while a background of creamy lees rounds it out nicely."
Antonio Galloni's Vinous, May/2021
2020 -
"The 2020 Etna Bianco is sweetly floral with notes of chamomile, crushed apples and hints of flint. It impresses with a combination of ripeness and inner tension, offering citrus-tinged orchard fruits and a steely minerality that comes forward toward the close. Hints of lime and sour melon linger as this wraps up with cheek-puckering freshness..."
VinePair, Sep/2023
2020 -
"There’s exceptional balance in this wine, with bright citrus, floral, and almond flavors and a hint of eucalyptus. Extended lees aging softens it, providing a creamy layer. A fine mineral texture underlies the fruit notes. Like many of these wines, the alcohol level is moderate at 12.5 percent, and the flavors really emerge as it warms up a bit."
James Suckling, Dec/2020
2019 -
"Aromas of green papaya, savory cheese crackers and green-olive tapenade. It’s light-bodied with crisp acidity and distinctive, saline character. Drink now."
Wine Spectator, Oct/2019
2018 -
"A spicy, lithe white, offering a lively mix of yellow pear, almond blossom, minerally saline and citrus peel notes in a light-bodied frame. Drink now."
Gismondi on Wine, Nov/2019
2017 -
"The Benanti winery was founded in the shadows of mount Enta in 1988 by Giuseppe Benanti, with the aim to preserve the unique terroir of Etna’s volcanic slopes, and develop the region's indigenous varieties. The winery is now run by Giuseppe’s two sons Antonio and Salvino. This carricante comes from different sloping mountain vineyards and 30-50 year old vines, 700-950m altitude, and fermented with selected native yeasts in stainless, where it rests for a short stint prior to bottling. Orange blossom, peach fuzz, soft pear is bedded with fine, downy lees, and seasoned with tight citrus spicing and lightly smoked stones. Fuller in body, and able to take on halibut or branzino easily."
Antonio Galloni's Vinous, Aug/2019
2017 -
"Good pale yellow. Ripe, lush scents of poached pear, yellow apple and nectarine, with a gentle stony overlay. Fresh, long, uncomplicated and clean finish that is not especially lemony or mineral for a Carricante wine, but this is lovely nonetheless."
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, Oct/2019
2017 -
"The 2017 Etna Bianco is a delicately perfumed and veiled expression of Carricante with soft mineral notes, white flower and easy peach or nectarine aromas. However, the true protagonist here are those carefully measured volcanic tones of ash and smoke. The bouquet on this vintage is slightly more neutral, but it will flesh out with a year or more of bottle age. Serve it with a chicken-and-herb couscous. Some 40,000 bottles were made."
Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate, Dec/2018
2016 -
"You get a pretty load of primary fruit with the 2016 Etna Bianco. Carricante gives off aromas of pear and white fruit with flinty mineral at the back. This is an academic interpretation of the grape from the east side of the volcano in Milo (with vineyards from 700 to 800 meters above sea level) that favors richness and structure. Some 50,000 bottles were produced. This wine has been produced since 1994."
Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate, Aug/2017
2014 -
"Although I am a longstanding fan of Benanti's wines, I have never previously reviewed this wine for publication (despite the fact it has been in production since 1994). The 2014 Etna Bianco is a pure expression of Carricante, with fruit from the East flank of the volcano in Milo. Vineyards here are located 700 to 800 meters above sea level. A second portion of fruit comes from Santa Maria di Licodia (at 950 meters above the Mediterranean). The wine opens to pretty and soft layers of stone fruit and pear. It boasts a very immediate, refreshing and drinkable style."
Antonio Galloni's Vinous, Oct/2015
2014 -
"Dark straw-yellow. Stone fruits, herbs and wildflowers on the enticing nose. Then rich, dense and deep on the palate, with bright, juicy flavors of stone fruits, lemon and sweet botanical herb. The long, saline finish offers intriguing hints of rosemary, minerals and cardamom."
James Suckling, Nov/2015
2013 -
"An Etna white with sliced-pear, apple and chalk aromas and flavors. Full-bodied, round and rich with dried pineapple and hints of minerals. Firm structure and freshness. Beautiful pure carricante. Drink now."
Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate, Sept/2015
2013 -
"The 2013 Etna Bianco is an impeccably made white wine based on the native Carricante grape. The wine shows soft contours with delicate layers of yellow rose, honey and candied lemon rind. The bouquet is balanced and fragrant but the mouth shows more grit, tightness and determination instead. In fact, the wine's mineral qualities come through clearly on the palate..."