February 16, 2021 - 100% Chardonnay from very densely-planted, 8 years old vineyard situated over 1000 meters above the sea level. Fermented in stainless steel, aged for some 12 months in glazed 5000-liter cement vats. Total production 20,000 bottles. 13% alcohol. Tasted blind.
Intense neon yellow-green color. The nose feels leesy and somewhat lactic with a whiff of sourmilk or yogurt, followed by aromas of white peach, some sappy herbal tones, a little bit of creaminess, light sweet notes of apple jam, a hint of nuttiness and a touch of woolly lanolin. The wine is round, moderately full-bodied and conspicuously sweet-toned on the palate, coming across as somewhat off-dry, perhaps even medium-dry? Flavors of honeydew melon, some woolly tones, a little bit of stony minerality, light steely tones, a hint of leesy yeast character almost reminiscent of Champagne and a touch of ripe pear. The overall feel is very rich and supple, the medium acidity keeping to the background - yet the overall feel is pleasant and balanced. The finish is rich and comes across as off-dry with quite long flavors of honey, some cantaloupe, light stony mineral notes, a little bit of creamy richness, a hint of nuttiness and a sweet touch of pear marmalade.
A tasty, harmonious and still surprisingly youthful Etna Chardonnay that was surprisingly sweet-toned - even slightly marmaladey - for the style. I wonder whether it was because of the combination of ripeness and modest acidity, or if the wine actually wasn't fermented to full dryness? At least to me the wine didn't feel technically dry, which made me automatically think of off-dry Chenin Blanc from Loire. Well, I was pretty wrong here. Live and learn. Nevertheless, this was enjoyable for the style, be it dry or off-dry. Most likely will keep if not improve for a good handful of years more.
November 9, 2014 - Lightly saline, with peach overtones. A beautiful and subtle expression of chardonnay.
September 19, 2014 - Good showing - better than last. Straw yellow colour. Again lots of white fruits but decent richness, without losing balance. Style wise, tHis is somewhere in between an oaked burgundy and a more elegant non oaked chablis.
August 26, 2014 - Aeolian Sailing Trip & a bit of Etna; 8/22/2014-8/31/2014 (Eolian Islands): Second time we come across this in 2 days and definitely a much better show. Had 3 very consistent bottles too. The addition of oak give a waxy side to the wine ( no vanilla thanks God) and depth. Reminded us a bit of south african lightly oaked chenins at times, mineral, ripe, full and with good length. Solid. 91
August 25, 2014 - Aeolian Sailing Trip & a bit of Etna; 8/22/2014-8/31/2014 (Eolian Islands): Very puzzled with this wine as it did not have the designation "Guardiola" on the label so not sure if its a local label or another white, a generic sicilia from Passopisciiaro... As no other white is listed on the winemakers website we assumed its the correct one. Pls reach out to us if u have info. Will also email the producer.
Dense, waxy wine. Rich fruit, mineral full wine. Oak dynamic too. 89
July 22, 2014 - Light straw colour. Peach and melon nose. More white fruit on palate, peach and pear. Nice balance and nice finish. I wanted more minerality that wasnt there. Still very nice.
March 8, 2014 - Really popping right now. Medium straw, bright, clear. Seashells at first, followed quickly by baking bread, starfruit, cake spice, tangerine and minerals. Medium-bodied, with a textured entry and late, but prolonged attack. Flavors of marmalade, under-ripe apples, with a swift movement to orchard and stone fruits; a finish that builds for 30 seconds and continues, satisfyingly, beyond that. There's a slightly bitter, saline-like thread, too, but it's more curious than distracting or unpleasant. Gained a fair amount of weight as it warmed (and the bitterness was replaced with a sense of sweet orchard fruit) but stayed well inside the boundaries of proper balance. 13,0% abv, recommended, drink thru 2018.
Aerated to decanter 1 hour, returned to bottle and served non-blind 4 hours later. Paired quite well with winter squash and herbed, grilled pork chops.
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June 9, 2013 - Euro-Themed Lunch - Island Theme (Corsica, Canary Island, Sicily, Cyprus) (Donato Enoteca, Redwood City, CA): Light yellow color. Fresh nose (B++). Excellent palate (B+).
June 1, 2013 - PnP, served non-blind, and consumed over 90 minutes. Light straw color. Mineral, beeswax and orchard fruit aromas. Less mineral on the medium-bodied, multi-layered palate. Lovely texture, rich but lifted and clean; very pure fruit. Delicious from beginning to end, which is to say I'm rather looking forward to the others in my cellar. 13,0% abv, so not CA Chard, recommended, thru 2016
May 8, 2013 - Slow-O 1 hr, served non-blind. Creamy, cheesy, chalky, crisp and clean. This should be totally on point in another year, not fully knitted together yet. 13,0% abv, drink thru 2016.