Buscemi Sicilia Bianco, Il Bianco | 2022

Mirella Buscemi, a former chemist, followed her heart to Mount Etna, where she met Alberto Graci, a superstar vigneron with a winery of his own. As a wedding gift, Alberto gave Mirella a piece of the historic “Tartaraci” Cru—a small but extraordinary site in the village of Bronte, on the rugged, more desolate northwest slope of Mount Etna. Tartaraci, with its zealous old bush vines reaching altitudes of 950 meters, falls just outside the DOC limitations. So, Buscemi’s wines are labeled by the broader “Terre Siciliane” designation. The white, Il Bianco, is one of only two wines made by Mirella, made from 100-year-old vines of Carricante and the very underrated, Grecanico. Farmed organically, the wine undergoes fermentation in used medium-sized barrels, completing malolactic fermentation before aging for eight months in the same barrels. While Etna's climate and landscape differ dramatically from Burgundy, Il Bianco has an uncanny Burgundy-esque silky minerality. After a few minutes in the glass, the nose gushes with personality—orchard fruits, green citrus, gold husks, and smoky stones. Carricante shows its weight with petrol and petrichor, while Grecanico flaunts its signature juiciness and tang. I admit it, I’m typically not a fan of Etna whites, often finding them too wide, flat, and uninteresting, but this Il Bianco has me excited, all over again, for one of Italy’s greatest wine regions. ~Allegra A