Benanti
Contrada Cavaliere Etna Bianco DOC
Made exclusively from Carricante grapes grown in Contrada Cavaliere on the South-Western slope at 800m of elevation. The high elevation and average vine age result in smaller yields, but the resulting wine has an unmatched precision and quality for Carricante.
Vines are located in Contrada Cavaliere, within the territory of Santa Maria di Licodia (CT), in the South-western slope of Mount Etna. 50-year-old vines.
Trained with the Guyot system. Viticulture: Sustainable
Vine Age: 50 years old
Soil: Volcanic sands, rich in minerals, with a sub-acid reaction
Exposure: Southwest exposure
Density: 6,500 vine stocks per hectare
- Region
- Sicily
- Appellation
- Etna Bianco DOC
- Varietal Composition
- Carricante
- Aging
- 12 months in stainless steel tanks on the fine lees with frequent stirrings. Refined in the bottle for 6 months.
- Alcohol
- 12.2%
With pale yellow and greenish tints, this wine offers an intense, rich, and delicate fruity nose, with hints of orange blossom and ripe apple. On the palate, it is dry and mineral, harmonious with pleasant acidity, aromatic persistence, and a distinctive aftertaste of anise and almond.
Wine Enthusiast
96 Points
2023
"Of the two Benanti Etna Bianco crus, Cavaliere, next to its sister Rinazzo, is just a hair’s breadth less serious and an equal amount more joyous as a result. Always rich, layered, savory, but with a lithe, fluid, unbridled energy. Solar and alive."
— Danielle Callegari, 2026
Jancis Robinson
16.5 Points
2023
"Brilliant pale straw. Pretty, minerally and stony nose with saline hints and savoury lemon fruit and garden-herb notes. Savoury, slow-to-open-up palate of minerally citrus fruit. Impressive length for this challenging vintage, blighted by peronospora (downy mildew). "
— Walter Speller, 2026
