Benanti
Pietra Marina Etna Bianco DOC Superiore
Since the very beginning in 1988, Giuseppe Benanti has aspired to demonstrate the high potential of Carricante grown in Milo. And indeed, this wine, whose name recalls volcanic landscapes, flintstones, minerals and saline sea breezes, is now unanimously considered one of the most typical, elegant and age-worthy whites in Italy.
The vines are located in Contrada Rinazzo in the village of Milo, on the eastern slope of Mount Etna. Up to 80 years old, head-trained, short-pruned bush vines grown on small terraces with dry lava-stone wall.
- Region
- Sicily
- Appellation
- Etna Bianco DOC Superiore
- Varietal Composition
- Carricante
- Aging
- 30 months on the fine lees in stainless steel with frequent stirring, until bottling. Refined in the bottle for 12 months.
- Alcohol
- 12.5%
Pale yellow with greenish tints, this wine presents an intense and rich nose, delicate and fruity, with hints of orange blossoms and ripe apple. On the palate, it is dry and mineral, with a pleasant acidity, aromatic persistence, and a distinctive aftertaste of anise and almond.
Wine Advocate
94 Points
2019
"This is the wine that started it all. Benanti's Pietra Marina wine started a quarter century ago, and its success is what put Etna—especially its white wines—on the map of the world's best wine territories. The 2019 Etna Bianco Superiore Pietra Marina has a flinty note or reduction that cedes to preserved lemon, Bartlett pear and crushed oyster shell. It ages in stainless steel for 30 months, followed by 12 additional months in bottle. The fruit comes from a two-hectare site with acidic soils (with a pH of 6.2) that are rich in minerals, located on the eastern side of Etna at a cool 800 meters in elevation."
— Monica Larner, 2025
