Carricante takes its name from carico, meaning 'charged, loaded, burdened' which refers to the abundant fruit on the vine. 100% Carricante from the northern slopes of Mount Etna, 800 metres above sea level.
The vines are bush trained and grown on sandy loam soil. Vinification and maturation are in stainless steel and the wine shows floral and lemon curd notes with pronounced minerality and unabashed acidity typical to Etna.
The 2011 Etna Bianco Superiore Pietra Marina is the latest edition of one of Etna's benchmark white wines. This Carricante-based white ages on the lees for 24 months in steel vats. Fruit is sourced from the east side of Etna at the Contrada Caselle in the Milo township at 800 meters above sea level. The wine shows an unmistakable volcanic imprinting with aromas of gun powder, flint, flaky sulfur stone and ash. Those mineral tones add to the wine's overall complexity. Subtle tones of honeydew melon, pear and white peach do appear but the mineral characteristics are strongest. This wine shows pretty linearity. Pietra Marina has a good track record for cellar aging..
91+/100 Monica Larner, Sep 2015, The Wine Advocate, Drink 2015-2024