Benanti Contrada Rinazzo Etna Bianco Superiore 2022

Profound and demure – aromatically delicacy countered with textural intensity, rich and generous, with gossamer notes of orange blossom and ripe apple. Dry and saline minerals poised and balanced with vibrant persistence with hints of anise and almond.

“A burst of flinty stone and smoke gives way to minty herbs and crushed green apples as the 2022 Etna Bianco Superiore Contrada Rinazzo blossoms in the glass. It washes across the palate with textures of pure silk as saline minerals saturate and citrus-tinged orchard fruits cascade throughout. The 2022 keeps the energy remarkably high, excited by zesty acidity as hints of sour grapefruit curl the tongue throughout the long and youthfully tense finale. The Rinazzo is enjoyable today, but it also possesses a balance that will reward cellaring. Beautifully done.” 2025 – 2031
93 Points, Eric Guido, Vinous, March 2024

The Contrada Rinazzo, on the Eastern slope of Mount Etna within the territory of Milo (CT)is particularly well-known for its elevation (approximately 800 m a.s.l. / 2,600 ft a.s.l.), cooling breezes and exposure to the sea.
Terraced vineyard of Carricante, the noble indigenous white grape variety of the Etna volcano. The vines are planted in sandy, volcanic soil that is rich in minerals. The young vines are grown with a traditional alberello system and rest against a chestnut pole, with a planting density of about 8,000 plants per hectare and a yield of 6,500 kg/ha. The mountainous climate is humid and rainy and snowy in the colder seasons, with extremely good ventilation and significant changes between day and night temperatures.

The grapes are hand-harvested after mid October. In the cellar, they are de-stemmed and pressed softly. Fermentation takes place at a temperature of about 18°C in stainless steel vats over 12 days, using a specific indigenous Etna yeast that has been selected by the Benanti team after many years of research and experimentation in the vineyard and in the cellar. The wine is left to mature in stainless steel on its own fine lees, with frequent stirrings, over 12 months. The wine then ages for another 6 months in the bottle before it is released.