2014 Aeris Wines Etna Bianco Superiore- Italy, Sicily, Etna DOC (4/28/2019)
I opened my first bottle of the Aeris several months ago, shortly after it arrived. It was aromatically interesting, but very closed in on the palate. I decided to wait 4-6 months, and open another bottle, so last night I did just that.
I drank this one from a different glass, the Grassl Glass Mineralite. I have found that it shows aromatics quite well, and is pretty even with other glasses for palate expression. It certainly did the trick on the aromatics, which were similar to the prior bottle (lime, hay, some stony elements, and a touch of reduction). I did find better palate delineation this time. The wine did not seem so closed or heavy. It still had good depth, and it was more lively/agile on the palate.
I don’t have enough experience with this type of wine to make any predictions about overall aging, but the improvement over the last several months indicates that some short term cellaring could be beneficial, and certainly not harmful. There’s plenty of depth to allow for a short nap, to see what might going on in another 12-24 months.
David - good to hear. I tried one a couple of months after arrival and also found it curiously muted… good to know my other bottle may be more enjoyable!
Brian I brought one to a party with several wine friends there and it was dull and flat but not cooked or corked. So I built a Carricante dinner around another bottle of this wine plus six or more Carricantes served blind. It was full and lively and complex but disjointed with youth. A much older bottle from the prior producer of the same vineyard was mindblowing.
So it needs ten years.
I still don’t understand the muted dull first bottle.
Had my first bottle of this the other night and quite enjoyed it. Didn’t take formal notes, but your description of “lime, hay and stone” resonates well. I am encouraged by others’ notes and will look forward to holding on to the others for a few more years and seeing how they evolve.
Reading CT tasting notes it does seem like this wine turned a corner a few months ago. Recently had a bottle that was great. To me it had the flavor profile of a chard with the acidity and general mouthfeel of a Riesling.
It’s great to see people enjoying this wine as much as I do. We plan to offer the 2015 Aeris Etna Bianco Superiore soon.
Meanwhile, we have had some exciting developments for this grape in California. The 2017 Carricante grown on Centennial Mountian will be our first release of a California Carricante and we are extremely excited by the quality. In addition, we plan to offer a 2017 Aeris Centennial Mtn Bianco (100% Carricante also) for about $30/bottle.
Peter,
Yes, we plan to offer one white (Etna Bianco Superiore 100% Carricante) and one red (Centenarios, from 100 yr old mixed Nerello Mascalese vines) from Sicily each year. Though our primary focus will be on these two grapes, plus Nebbiolo, grown in California. The rollout of the California bottlings will be slow. We know we have one chance to make a first impression and we are going to make sure that the first offerings of Aeris California will have the right impact.
Alan,
We are bottling two different California Carricante’s from Centennial Mountain. One will be called Aeris Centennial Mtn Carricante and the other Aeris Centennial Mtn Bianco, both will be 100% Carricante. We haven’t finalized pricing but the 2nd tier wine (Bianco) will be around $30/btl. We are extremely happy with both bottlings in 2017. Growing Carricante in CA seemed a little crazy (to most people) but I can’t wait to show the wines.
Thanks for the tasting notes - David and Tom.
I had quite a few Carricante wines when I visited Sicily a few years ago (the Cottanera Bianco stood out as a favorite). Many were blends, however.
So I am looking forward to tasting the Aeris.
It will be interesting to see, with the suggestive element from Tom’s note, if I find aromas of “raw turkey meat bit angel food cake.”
T.,
You make a very important point about the blends. There is actually very little true Carricante on Etna. I talk to many people who believe they have tried Carricante when they tasted an Etna Bianco but there is likely to be little Carricante in most Etna Biancos.
IMO, Carricante is one of the world’s greatest white wine grapes but Cataratto, Minella and Grecanico (which comprise the majority of Etna Bianco bottled) are definitely not.