2020 Aeris Etna Bianco Superiore Sicily 750 ml

Carricante deserves to stand among the world’s regal white grapes. Antonio Galloni called it Italy’s answer to white Burgundy. Ian D’Agata said it’s “potentially one of Italy’s greatest cultivars, white or red.”

Great Carricante is elegant, structured, and ageworthy—and the 2020 Aeris Etna Bianco Superiore is one of the finest. 

In fact, it was Vinous’ top scoring Etna Bianco of 2020. Not surprising considering the pedigree behind the project—namely Kevin Harvey of the widely acclaimed Rhys Vineyards and iconic Etna enologist Salvo Foti.

Aeris is the name of Harvey’s Sonoma-based venture into Italian varieties, and to make a true Etna Bianco, he beelined for Mt. Etna’s eastern face. Carricante grows almost exclusively on the active volcano’s high-elevation slopes, yet the most coveted plots sit around the village of Milo—the only area whose wines can carry the “Etna Bianco Superiore” designation. 

Here, cool winds buffet the vines, volcanic soils blanket the land, and few (if any) names carry more weight than Salvo Foti. The legendary enologist has quite literally written the book on Etna wines, and D’Agata has said his wines “rank amongst Italy’s very best.” Naturally, Harvey tapped him as winemaker, and the duo selected prime plots of land for Aeris. 

The SF Chronicle’s Esther Mobley called Aeris’ 2018 Etna Bianco Superiore “the best white wine you’ve never heard of,” and Vinous scored this 94-point 2020 even higher. It bursts with aromas of citrus, white peach, almonds, and wildflowers, teasing a mineral-driven palate with green apple, lemon curd, and a touch of salinity. Perfectly balancing energy and elegance, some time in the cellar will yield the broad palate, minerality, and refinement that define truly noble white wine.