2022 Tascante Contrada Sciaranuova Etna Bianco Carricante 6pk 6x750ml

The Tasca family has been making wine in Sicily for 190 years. In 2007, they turned their attention to Mount Etna — specifically to the north slopes, where volcanic soils and extreme altitude produce some of the most compelling white wines in Italy. This is their first-ever release from Contrada Sciaranuova, planted in 2017 at 730 meters. 2022 is the inaugural vintage.

Carricante now accounts for 95% of white grapes grown on Etna, and for good reason: at these altitudes, where red Nerello Mascalese can't ripen, Carricante thrives. The grape's naturally high acidity and affinity for volcanic minerality make it a textbook expression of place. Sciaranuova sits between Montelaguardia and Passopisciaro on the north face — deep, sandy volcanic soils rich in organic matter, extreme diurnal shift, and the kind of tension that turns a white wine into something you cellar.

Winemaker Laura Orsi fermented this in temperature-controlled stainless, then moved it to 25-hectoliter Slavonian oak casks for twelve months on the lees. No malolactic.

The result: pale straw yellow, aromas of sliced apple and lemon peel layered with white peach, white pepper, flint, and smoke. The palate is taut and saline, with invigorating acidity and the roasted-almond richness that comes from extended lees contact. Only 2,700 bottles were produced.

This is the kind of wine that makes you rethink what Italian whites can do — and it's the first time this contrada has ever been bottled on its own. First vintage, first release, already pulling elite scores.