Very high quality Chardonnay from Etna. Pineapple, quince, peach and some sweet fruit on nose. High acidity, mineral and nutty, full body with long finish. Lively, still very young wine that last for 4 days. Nicely made.
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Really enjoyed this full bodied quixotically rich yet mineral chardonnay. As if Domaine de Bongran’s Vire Clesse decided to set up between Randazzo and Solicchiata, which makes me think somehow there was a touch of botrytis affecting the grapes? In any case we have a rounded, complex, food friendly, linear, mineral and fruity wine here. It’s not a wine that conforms to my expectations of the appellation but it did not lack interest from beginning to end.
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100% Chardonnay from Contrada Guardiola and Monte Dolce vineyards averaging 18 years in age, fermented for 20 days in stainless steel, aged for 10 months in oak casks and concrete tanks, bottled in July 2019. 13,5% alcohol. Tasted blind.
Quite deep and luminous yellow-green color. Ripe yet somewhat restrained nose with quite light aromas of juicy pineapple, a little bit of white peach, light cantaloupe nuances, a hint of skunky reduction and sulfurous smoke, a touch of something waxy and a whiff of vague spicy character. The medium-to-moderately full-bodied wine is dense and rather concentrated on the palate, yet flavor-wise relatively understated with its flavors of stony minerality, some dried herbs, a little bit of ripe cantaloupe, light nuances of fresh white peach and a hint of alcohol. The moderately high acidity lends good sense of balance to the wine. The finish is ripe, slightly warm and somewhat waxy with a medium-long aftertaste of fresh white peach, some cantaloupe, a little bit of crunchy golden apple, light stony mineral notes and a hint of reductive smoke.
A pleasant but also somewhat neutral and understated Chardonnay that feels relatively closed, at least at the moment. The overall feel is - at least structurally - nicely balanced, but the wine feels rather mute aromatically. There are certain aromas and flavors, but they feel very distant and subtle, which in turn makes the alcohol stick out in a bit awkward fashion. Perhaps the wine is just in a slump now and will open up better if given a few more years in a cellar? It was quite impossible to recognize it for either an Italian white or a Chardonnay.
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This was denser and more viscous than I was expecting. Loads of honey, bitter orange and pear. Some salty minerals and nuttiness bring back the freshness. No double made in the Franchetti style.
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Tasted at the winery. Opened a day before. This smells really special, not like much I’ve tried before, rather reductive but very lean as well, very mineral at first but gaining some weight with air. Also some floral and fruity notes showing up after a while. Some bitters and rather high acidity. Delicious and promising.
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Smells like an Etna Bianco with allot of leesy waxiness on the nose. And that continues on the palate as well. Apparently this is 100% Chardonnay, crazy, it doesn't taste like it. Doesn't taste like Chardonnay at all. Wild.
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4/16/2024 - RichD2 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Really enjoyed this wine for its complexity.
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11/23/2023 - B Khor wrote:
Chardonnay from Etna. Full of minerals, nutty personally still prefer white burgundy but it was an interesting wine.
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11/3/2023 - lung2297 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Very high quality Chardonnay from Etna.
Pineapple, quince, peach and some sweet fruit on nose.
High acidity, mineral and nutty, full body with long finish. Lively, still very young wine that last for 4 days. Nicely made.
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10/14/2022 - ShakinSwedens Likes this wine:
Really enjoyed this full bodied quixotically rich yet mineral chardonnay. As if Domaine de Bongran’s Vire Clesse decided to set up between Randazzo and Solicchiata, which makes me think somehow there was a touch of botrytis affecting the grapes? In any case we have a rounded, complex, food friendly, linear, mineral and fruity wine here. It’s not a wine that conforms to my expectations of the appellation but it did not lack interest from beginning to end.
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5/25/2022 - forceberry wrote: 82 Points
100% Chardonnay from Contrada Guardiola and Monte Dolce vineyards averaging 18 years in age, fermented for 20 days in stainless steel, aged for 10 months in oak casks and concrete tanks, bottled in July 2019. 13,5% alcohol. Tasted blind.
Quite deep and luminous yellow-green color. Ripe yet somewhat restrained nose with quite light aromas of juicy pineapple, a little bit of white peach, light cantaloupe nuances, a hint of skunky reduction and sulfurous smoke, a touch of something waxy and a whiff of vague spicy character. The medium-to-moderately full-bodied wine is dense and rather concentrated on the palate, yet flavor-wise relatively understated with its flavors of stony minerality, some dried herbs, a little bit of ripe cantaloupe, light nuances of fresh white peach and a hint of alcohol. The moderately high acidity lends good sense of balance to the wine. The finish is ripe, slightly warm and somewhat waxy with a medium-long aftertaste of fresh white peach, some cantaloupe, a little bit of crunchy golden apple, light stony mineral notes and a hint of reductive smoke.
A pleasant but also somewhat neutral and understated Chardonnay that feels relatively closed, at least at the moment. The overall feel is - at least structurally - nicely balanced, but the wine feels rather mute aromatically. There are certain aromas and flavors, but they feel very distant and subtle, which in turn makes the alcohol stick out in a bit awkward fashion. Perhaps the wine is just in a slump now and will open up better if given a few more years in a cellar? It was quite impossible to recognize it for either an Italian white or a Chardonnay.
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2/26/2022 - MAXIMUM SATISFACTION wrote: 91 Points
This was denser and more viscous than I was expecting. Loads of honey, bitter orange and pear. Some salty minerals and nuttiness bring back the freshness. No double made in the Franchetti style.
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1/7/2022 - hfc Likes this wine: 90 Points
Decent saltiness and some bitter orange in the finish. Dry and lemony. Goes down so well with a cream base pasta.
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8/12/2021 - afot Likes this wine: 93 Points
Tasted at the winery. Opened a day before. This smells really special, not like much I’ve tried before, rather reductive but very lean as well, very mineral at first but gaining some weight with air. Also some floral and fruity notes showing up after a while. Some bitters and rather high acidity. Delicious and promising.
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6/29/2021 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Smells like an Etna Bianco with allot of leesy waxiness on the nose. And that continues on the palate as well. Apparently this is 100% Chardonnay, crazy, it doesn't taste like it. Doesn't taste like Chardonnay at all. Wild.
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1/23/2021 - olracx62 wrote: 86 Points
disappointing chardonnay, lacking complexity and pleasantness, poor scents and plain taste. Maybe too young?
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