2016 Giovi Etna Bianco DOCproduct-pdf - Sicily, Italy, World Famous Grappa Producer! - Summer + Mediterranean + Island = Perfection Why We're Drinking It Rare Retail wine, only 50 cases imported.
This is what Suckling Calls a wine that reminds him of a Puligny-Montrachet based on similar minerality, texture, ripeness and acidic character....But this is not chardonnay.
When it comes to featuring great wines of Italy there is no mistake: I do not mess around! The 2016 Giovi Etna Bianco is a striking White wine from Sicilia that I truly loved. Giovi is a world renowned grappa producer with a crazy passion for making wine. I mean where else do you get the grapes from to make the grappa? Why buy them from someone else anyway? The way I see it Giovanni's just a super smart business man and oh....he happens to make some kickass wines! ● Carricante is a white wine indigenous to Sicily, Italy. This late-ripening vine is the main variety used in the Etna DOC. It is usually found blended with Catarratto and Minella bianca. As a varietal wine, Carricante produces a fresh, straw-yellow, lightly fragrant white wine. Also Grecanico Dorato, increasingly planted Sicilian vine that has been shown by DNA analysis to be identical to the Garganega of Soave. Late-ripening and tangy. ● The name Carricante comes from the Italian caricare (to load, to burden), in reference to the variety's heavy yields. It is not related to the variety Nocera, which is sometimes called Carricante nero. Carricante is grown at high altitudes on Mount Etna relative to other grapes, growing at around 950 meters above sea level on the eastern slopes and at 1,050 meters on the southern slopes. Wines made from it tend to by high in total acidity with a low pH and have traditionally been subject to malolactic fermentation. ● Etna is an Italian wine DOC which covers the slopes of Mount Etna. An active volcano,10,920 feet in elevation, Etna dominates the northeastern corner of Sicily. ● The Etna DOC was the first designate in Sicily. ● Production Area: Randazzo, Province of Catania where the soils are rich in iron and nitrogen. This wine hails from Randazzo.
Tasting Notes A lovely summer Sicilian blend with aromas of salted peaches and pear. VARIETAL This is a really cool wine that tastes of creamy pear sauce with white 85% Carricante, 15% Grecanico pepper and sage. APPELLATION Sicily, Italy ALCOHOL 13.00 SIZE 750ml BLEND 85% Carricante, 15% Grecanico AGING/COOPERAGE In tonneaux of 500 liters for 3 months, on the lees PRODUCTION 1,200 cases
The Story to Know Distilleria Giovi is a young company founded in 1987 by Italian Master Distiller Giovanni La Fauci with head offices in Valdina, near Messina. A region that benefits from a warm Tyrrhenian climate, it opens up to reveal the natural beauty of Capo Milazzo and the Aeolian Islands.
Giovanni La Fauci has another dream besides making great grappa at his distillery Giovi in Messina. These are giovannis grapes and he has been making wine his entire life, learning everything from his father.
The vines are cultivated naturally and sustainably without any use of chemicals. The grape must is only fermented with native yeasts. The wine is then aged in botti from 220 to 500 liters for a minimum of two years and no stainless steel is ever used. The botti are stored in a natural underground cavern that maintains a temperature between 46 to 52°F all year. Racking takes place respecting the lunar phase and only a limited amount of metabisulfite is used upon bottling.
Perfect Pairings Fish, white meat, fresh cheeses. I want this with Brozini smothered in lump crab meat with chives and shallots in a light Buerre Blanc sauce. Pair it with freh steamed asparagus and some garlic butter angel hair pasta with diced red bell peppers. Wow! ~Chef James
Ratings 94 Insider points
Reviews Two words: Tropical Oasis! I can appreciate richer, full-bodied whites with beautiful acidity and tropical notes. In an area where they once grew a bunch of chardonnay (and marsala) has been refocused on the bread and butter: the indigenous varietals, like this lovely Carricante and Grecanico (Gargenega) blend. While the warm days and bountiful sunlight make way for the ripe lucious fruit, the cool breezes and higher altitude allow acidity retention followed by the Volcanic soild that leads to rich minerality like a grand cru white Burgundy.
Giovanni rocks it with this Etna Bianco as it is loaded with ripe peaches and pears with hints of pineapple. There are also notes of white tea with some herbal and mineral goodness. The texture is rich and the balance is perfect and if you close your eyes and swirl in the mouth you'll get some slight hints of sea salt. My ultimate summer wine choice so grab a bunch. Only 50 cases were imported to the states through my favortie West Coast Italian supplier. Drink now or for the next 3 years or so. Saluti e Grazie!
~James Byus III, Premier Wine Concierge/Italian Wine Lover