Etna Bianco DOC

Sicily, 1984: a farming family seventeen generations deep decides to take their winemaking seriously. Diego Planeta sparked the shift at the family's 17th-century farmhouse in Sambuca di Sicilia; his daughter Francesca and nephews Alessio and Santi carried it forward, eventually building six wineries across five regions: Menfi, Vittoria, Noto, Etna, and Capo Milazzo. Each site is matched, deliberately, to the grape that suits its soil best, a philosophy the family sums up simply: to each territory, its own winery. On Etna, that meant Feudo di Mezzo, built in 2012 atop black stone left by lava flows, a fitting home for carricante, the native white grape that thrives in the mountain's mineral-rich volcanic soils. It's here, at some of Italy's highest-altitude vineyards, that this Etna Bianco takes shape: structured, saline, and entirely of its place.

Etna's viticultural history is written in lava. The eruption of 1614, the longest ever recorded at 10 years, stopped just short of the Sciaranuova vineyards, leaving behind black, mineral-rich volcanic sand. Grown here at Feudo di Mezzo, among some of Italy's highest-altitude vineyards, carricante develops the structured aromatics and saline energy that define this Etna Bianco.

Grapes are handpicked between late September and early October, then immediately refrigerated at 43–46°F before hand-selection, light destalking, and soft pressing. The must ferments at roughly 59°F: 80% in stainless steel, 20% in oak, including Nevers and Allier casks, preserving the wine's mineral edge and structured, three-dimensional flavor.

White acacia flower, fresh almond, and mountain peach on the nose; juicy and full on the palate, with yellow plum and prickly pear on a mineral finish.