2024 Idda Etna Bianco, Mt Etna

A fresh, peppery style with a spicy, citrusy nose and core aromas of stone fruit. Medium-bodied. More focused on the rich palate than on the aromatic profile. Enjoyable texture and length. Drink now.

92 points jamessuckling.com

From the high eastern slopes of Mount Etna, this white captures the electric tension and mineral clarity that define the volcano’s finest expressions. Idda focuses on Carricante grown in black volcanic sand and ash, where altitude, wind and dramatic day night shifts preserve acidity and aromatic precision. The environment is extreme, sunlight is intense, nights are cold, and the soils are alive with mineral energy, giving a wine that feels carved from stone rather than simply grown from earth.

Winemaking is guided by restraint, aiming to preserve the vineyard’s voice. Gentle handling protects freshness and texture, allowing the grape’s natural saltiness and citrus drive to remain intact. The style is dry, linear and architectural, more about tension and length than softness.

In the glass it shows pale straw with green flashes. Aromas are sharp and lifted, opening with lemon zest, lime leaf and green apple, followed by white flowers, crushed rock and a faint smoky volcanic note. There is a saline freshness that immediately signals altitude and soil.

The palate is medium bodied but tightly wound, with citrus and orchard fruit wrapped around a chalky, tactile texture. Acidity is bright and precise, driving the wine long and mouthwatering. Flavours move from lemon and grapefruit into herbal and mineral tones, finishing dry, salty and persistent. The impression is one of energy and clarity rather than weight.

It pairs beautifully with shellfish, grilled fish, oysters, seafood pasta and dishes built around olive oil and herbs. Served cool, it becomes razor sharp and refreshing. While compelling now for its tension, it will cellar comfortably for six to ten years, developing honeyed, smoky and savoury complexity while retaining its volcanic spine.

This is Etna Bianco in its purest register, mineral, bright and shaped by the mountain, a white that feels alive with altitude and stone.