2023 Pietradolce Etna Bianco Archineri DOC, Sicily

Pronounced, bright straw yellow. Delicate bouquet, with notes of crunchy stone fruit, some lemon zest and a hint of wet stone on the finish. Delicately fruity on the palate, pleasantly fresh and juicy, with a lingering, slightly salty finish.

93 points Falstaff

The sliced-apple, flower and flint aromas come through clearly here. Medium- to full-bodied with a lovely character and vibrancy, this is focused and poised, showing plenty of fruit and a bright finish. Drink now.

92 points James Suckling

Archineri Bianco comes from old Carricante vines planted high on the northern slopes of Mount Etna, where black volcanic soils and cool mountain air shape wines with incredible tension and clarity. Pietradolce has become one of Etna’s benchmark producers, and this wine shows why Carricante has become one of Italy’s most exciting white varieties, combining citrus purity with smoky mineral depth and remarkable ageing potential.

The 2023 feels electric from the first pour. Lemon zest, green apple and white grapefruit leap from the glass, followed by crushed herbs, white flowers and a distinct volcanic note that feels like wet stone and smoke after rain. There’s a coolness to the aromatics that makes the wine feel almost alpine despite the Sicilian sun.

Everything here is built around energy. Bright acidity slices through the palate, carrying citrus and orchard fruit over a tightly wound mineral frame. There’s texture too, a subtle waxy edge and a saline thread that gives the wine real presence without softening its precision. The finish is long, smoky and intensely stony.

This is where Etna Bianco becomes addictive at the table. Raw scallops with lemon oil would be stunning, but it’s equally brilliant with grilled octopus, zucchini flowers stuffed with ricotta, or charred fennel with olive oil and sea salt. Even something simple like salty potato crisps and fresh pecorino suddenly makes perfect sense beside it.

Still very youthful and tightly coiled, though the structure and acidity here suggest it will evolve beautifully over the next ten years, gaining more honeyed and savoury complexity.

There’s a wild precision here that feels completely tied to Etna itself, all smoke, citrus and volcanic tension carried with incredible purity.