Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 73

vinified in cement, they produced a smooth
and lovely 2017, its scents of licorice and
rose carried over lush black-cherry flavors.
A rocky stoniness runs underneath, girding
the wine for a match with steak, or for aging. §
Golden Ram Imports, NY
278488

92 | Roucas Toumba

$25

2018 Vacqueyras La Grande Terre ^ Roucas
toumba means "fallen rocks" in local dialect-a nod to the intensely stony landscape
in this corner of Vacqueyras. It's where the
Bouletin family has farmed grapes for generations, and where current owner Eric Bouletin
began bottling wines in the early 2000s. His
vines are old, and entirely hand-harvested;
the wines ferment spontaneously in cement
or used barrels, part of Bouletin's effort to let
the land show through the fruit in the wine.
He succeeded in the 2018 La Grande Terre, a
blend of grenache off calcareous sandstone,
and syrah and mourvèdre from stony, sandy
soils: It's a wild wine, with the sweet-bitterherbal balance of a blackberry picked from
a forest thicket; it's savory, too, with notes
of thyme and oregano baking among hot
stones. The tart pucker of the fruit gives it
a thirst-quenching lift, and suggests a match
with duck or a rich vegetable dish. § Regal Wine
Imports, Moorestown, NJ
278492

90 | Arnoux et Fils

$23

2018 Vacqueyras Vieux Clocher ^ Marc
Arnoux makes wines from his family's own
60 acres of vines as well as purchased fruit.
His 2018 is super spicy and herbal, a little like
the wine equivalent of highly hopped beer.
Those bright notes contrast with the velvety
cherry fruit, the wine feeling fresh and generous. § Monsieur Touton Selection, NY
278486

90 | Château Montmirail

$30

2018 Vacqueyras Cuvée des Deux Frères ^
Sylvie and Philippe Bouteiller largely retain
the style their grandfather established when
he founded this estate in 1960, relying on
handpicked, old-vine fruit vinified in cement
tanks. Their 2018 is spicy and intense in its
dark raspberry flavors, with a sense of minerality that keeps the wine feeling firm and cellar-ready. § Kindred Vines Import Co., Troy, MI
278485

90 | Réserve
	 Saint Dominique

$22

2018 Vacqueyras ^ From the négociant line
of Eric Bonnet, owner of La Bastide Saint
Dominique in Courthézon, this a stainless
steel blend of grenache, syrah and cinsault.
It's ripe and spicy, with a dark growl of blackraspberry flavor, ready for a beef stew this
winter. § Europvin USA, Van Nuys, CA n

YEAR'S BEST
ETNA WINES

Our blind panels tasted 76 Etna wines over the past 12 months. Our critic for Italy, Stephanie Johnson, rated 49 wines as exceptional (90+) and 9 as Best Buys. Subscribers can
find a complete list of wines tasted, and all reviews, at wineandspiritsmagazine.com.

W HITE
278114

94 | Pietradolce

$43

2018 Etna Bianco Archineri ^ Michele and
Mario Faro, scions of a renowned Sicilian nursery specializing in Mediterranean
plants, established this winery on Mt. Etna's
northern slope in 2005. The brothers now
own 27 vineyard acres, including five acres
of pre-phylloxera carricante vines near Milo
(planted in 1899 and 1919) that produce this
tautly structured wine. It opens with scents
of lemongrass and citrus that lead into precise flavors of pear, lemon and greengage
plum. Cool saline notes weave through the
fruit tones, knitting the flavors together harmoniously as they build toward an energetic,
vertical finish. § Empson USA, Alexandria, VA
278579

93 | Eudes

$47

2016 Etna Bianco Bianco di Monte ^
Giovanni Messina and Laura Torrisi tend 7.4
acres of vines high on Etna's eastern slope.
They produce this flinty white from carricante and catarratto vines rooted in intensely
dark, mineral-laden soils, fermenting with
ambient yeasts and vinifying entirely in
stainless steel to emphasize the wine's taut
structure and zesty fruit tones. Initially shy,
the wine opens with air to reveal flavors of
yellow plum and brisk lemon infused with
bright salinity and hints of dried marjoram. §
Schatzi Wines, Milan, NY
278122

93 | Tenuta di Fessina

$81

2017 Etna Bianco Superiore Il Musmeci
Contrada Caselle ^ Silvia Maestrelli's new
releases showed impressively in our tasting
panels this year, garnering five recommendations. This Etna Bianco led the way, produced with carricante grapes selected from a
1.2-acre plot of 90-year-old vines more than
3,000 feet in altitude on Etna's eastern slope.
The extreme elevation and ancient vines mitigated 2017's torrid heat and parched conditions, giving a wine with flavors of Meyer
lemon, lime zest and kiwi. The wine rested
for six months in tonneaux, gaining a broad,
creamy texture that is balanced by brisk
saline notes and taut acidity. The flavors

become more harmonious with time in the
glass, suggesting this will get even better after
a few years in the cellar. § Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL
278121

93 | Terre Nere

$41

92 | Donnafugata

$40

92 | Tenuta di Fessina

$66

92 | Filippo Grasso

$38

2018 Etna Bianco Cuvée delle Vigne Niche
Santo Spirito ^ Marco de Grazia's vintage
notes indicate that from August to October
of 2018, Mt. Etna received nearly 30 inches
of rain, compared to an average of 20 to
24 inches expected in an entire year. This
created a range of viticultural challenges,
though fewer for the white varieties than for
the reds. This pure carricante is culled from
vines planted in 1915 and 1975 in Contrada
Santo Spirito's deep volcanic ash soils. The
wine reflects the high-toned personality of
the vintage, its flavors of crisp apple, pear
and lemon cinched by brilliant acidity that
cools the flavors through a long, smoky finish. § Skurnik Wines & Spirits, NY
278138
2017 Etna Bianco Sul Vulcano ^ This pure
carricante is smoky and savory, with taut
acidity that weaves through the zesty citrus
flavors. It finishes on a firm, mineral note and
is austere at present. Keep it in the cellar for a
year and then pour it with veal piccata. § Folio
Fine Wine Partners, Napa, CA
278142
2017 Etna Bianco A'Puddara ^ From a fiveacre plot on Etna's southern slope, this wine
carries more weight than Fessina's Il Musmeci
(also recommended here), perhaps bearing
some effects from the hot and dry 2017 vintage. It unfolds with flavors of mango, lime
and crushed green apple accented by notes
of toasted nuts and white smoke. Hints of
lemon zest and a cool, slatey minerality balance the ripe fruit tones and make the wine
approachable in its youth. § Vineyard Brands,
Birmingham, AL
278133
2019 Etna Bianco Superiore Mari di Ripiddu (Best Buy) ^ This small family estate
has been growing grapes and making wine
WINE & SPIRITS

OCTOBER 2020

73
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Wine & Spirits - October 2020

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