This is thrilling volcanic wine, which doesn’t mean everyone will love it, but damn, I sure do. Medium-bodied but leaning toward full on account of its flavor impact and assertive finish more than just palate weight, this is substantial stuff, yet wonderfully balanced by energetic acidity. There’s plenty of fruit in both the aromas and flavors, but nothing obvious: a suggestion of stone fruit, perhaps apricot or tangerine, and certainly some citrus, but nothing palpable like the impression of grapefruit in some renderings of Sauvignon Blanc. This is worth noting because the wine speaks of rock much more than sun, with very intense minerality that you can actually smell, not just taste on the mid-palate or sense in the finish. This minerality has an overt saline character this often shows up in wines grown on volcanic soils, as on Santorini, for example. Indeed, anyone could be forgiven for mistaking this for an Assyrtiko from Santorini, or vice versa, which is high praise for both wines. This is reasonably priced and fairly available in the USA, as Gallo’s high-end Italian import arm is bringing it in, so see you in the checkout line.

The 2022 Etna Bianco shows classic varietal tones that are citrusy and bright. You also get floral notes, even soapy tones of lady's perfume, with a hint of something exotic such as saffron or cardamom seed. The wine is medium rich on the palate with sweet end notes of candy or lemon-lime merengue.