Ciro Biondi, Etna Bianco, “Outis”

Often Etna whites are compared to those of another, radically different place: Chablis. Blessed with high altitudes, mineral-rich soils, and a well-adapted native variety (Carricante), Ciro Biondi and his wife, Stef, craft impeccable wines in backyard-garden quantities, working out of an ancient stone palmento and caring for spectacular terraced vineyards that have been in his family for generations. Etna’s native Carricante grape, which continues to grow in esteem among the experts, comprises the majority of this 2016 (90%). On its own, Carricante can almost be a little too savory/mineral/austere, so here’s it’s supported with some aromatic supporting players such as Catarratto, Malvasia, and Minella. Pressed immediately upon harvest, it was fermented and then aged for eight months in stainless steel tanks before bottling. The magic of Mount Etna, as reflected in this bright, high-energy white, is that it is at once a cool climate—with, as you might expect, some of the most dramatic d