Bob McDonald

9.5

Dark Ruby with youthful purple notes - very dense almost black. After decanting a whiff of high quality French oak. Black and blue fruits. Might have opened this a little young. It’s full bodied and powerful. 70% Petit Verdot, 30% Cesanese, somewhat of a unicorn - I doubt if I could find this in Australia. Bought at the Cellar door on a Sicily tour with Scud MW at Franchetti on the favoured northern slopes of Mount Etna. In a blind tasting I would pick this as Bordeaux. The fruit richness dominates and doesn’t allow much Etna derived volcanic minerality to show through. Much riper and richer than you would expect from an Etna wine. This is the premium cuvée from Franchetti. Would love to try another one in 5 years if I had one. — a year ago

Paul T HB

9.6

Had this last week and forgot to post, Big wine for $40.00😳 this will go another 20 years easy Notes from the winery, - -Focusing first on the cabernet fruit from four mineral-rich, volcanic soil sites nestled on cooler hillside slopes in the Alexander Valley, this vintage’s blend is uniquely crafted with delicate inclusions of merlot, malbec, and petit verdot.
Available in 750ml and 1.5L magnum formats
“Opaque ruby purple in the glass, it has an incredible perfume loaded with oral nuances, its cassis and boysenberry fruit tempered by a mineral streak and accented by notes of dried thyme, fresh tobacco leaves, mint chocolate, clover and bay leaves. The palate is stunning, powerful but silky and fresh, lushly fruited and nuanced and finishing very long. While this 2018 is approachable and utterly delicious now, it will reward cellaring and should be very long lived.” 97 pts – Erin Brooks, Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate
— 4 years ago

Christopher Zulueta

9.0

100+ year old volcanic vines off the slopes of Mount Teide #canaryturruño — 7 years ago

Shengli Hu

9.0

2018 much more minerality on the nose! Not what Zin reminds you of. Red cherries blackberry black pepper spices licorice medium acidity long spicy finish moderate body dark. notes from visit to the winery.

Alexander Valley. Bright red volcanic soils, steep rocky slopes and western exposure. — 2 years ago

Randy Fuller

9.3

This wine does a little Pinot Noir act, medium ruby in the glass with earthy red fruit on the nose. The Sicilian grapes were grown on the slopes of Mt. Etna, and owner Michele Faro spoke during a Zoom gathering about his love of the volcanic soil. The nose also offers notes of coffee, sage and eucalyptus. The palate definitely shows the volcanic origin along with spice and pepper, plus a firm tannic structure. The sip finishes clean and savory. Very tasty. — 3 years ago

S

9.0

Recommendation by Delfshaven wineshop (Jan 2018). An Italian Sicilian Pinot Noir, higher up on the slopes of Mt. Etna, which brings a burnt wood/volcanic char taste. Pricey but interesting — 7 years ago

Kyle Harvey

8.9

Probably because I drink too much Etna and am a little spoiled, but this 2015 from the south east Slopes needs a couple of more years to get some tertiary volcanic flavors. Great floral notes and light cherry, but not a lot of persistent. — 7 years ago

Vanessa

9.0

Deliciously juicy Gaja and Graci collaboration from the southern slopes of Mt. Etna on the island of Sicily.

A volcanic blend of 90% Nerello Mascalese and 10% Nerello Cappuccio. Vintage 2017; ABV 14.5%

I love that this wine was named Idda (‘she’) referring with admiration to the majestic Mt. Etna.

This wine is ripe with notes of cherry, kirsch, alongside tomato leaf, mint, cardamom, crushed stone and flinty minerality. — 3 years ago

with Deked1

Eric Urbani

9.2

Mark Royer's inaugural vintage. Very Burgundian. Clones include Dijon 76, 95, and 548 among others. Elevation 600-700' which is relatively high for OR. Soils are a mix of Ritner, Witzel, Nekia, and Jory of volcanic origin. South and West slopes. Mesoclimate: "Very windy".
— 4 years ago

Nelson Fitch

9.0

Old native variety from Badacsony, along the slopes of Lake Balaton in Western Hungary. Reminiscent of Somloi Juhfark - waxy, full, smoky, flinty. Some freshness despite the full bodied and savory character. Volcanic, like Somló. — 7 years ago