'NOBLESSE,' BRUT METODO CLASSICO, NV
$40 (10% off = $36.00)
A great case for Carricante in sparkling form. The fruit for this Champagne method bubbler is pulled from the same high altitude, east-facing, 80+ year old parcels as Benanti's still whites. With 18 months spent on lees, the wine brims with Spanish broom, lemon blossom, beeswax and citrus.
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ETNA BIANCO, 2017
$28 (10% off = $25.20)
A perfect reference-point bottle for the Etna Bianco classification, and likely the highest quality expression of Carricante at this modest price-point. Like dunking your head in ice cold water, there is supreme mineral depth and precision here, with all the flinty aromatics that hallmark the varietal, rounded with Granny Smith, Pomelo and white flower.
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ETNA BIANCO 'CONTRADA CAVALIERE,' 2017
$60 (10% off = $54.00)
The newest addition to Benanti's line-up of white offerings and one of 5 new single contrada wines being produced as of 2017. Offering a stepping stone between the briskness of the basic Bianco and the supremacy of the Pietramarina. There is a more honeyed texture here, with the fruit pivoting more toward stone than citrus yet the piercing mineral crunch remains.
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In short, this is the most important example of the Carricante grape to be found on the planet (it is the only to carry the 'superiore' tag), far and away one of Sicily's most profound wines, and one of the great and most regal white wines of Italy. A deftly balanced mesh of driving mineral, fragrant spice and luscious white orchard fruit - this is a wine that will offer immense pleasure today, or any time over the next 15-20 years.
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The 2018 marks only the second vintage that Benanti have released a rosato bottling into the world and we're upset they didn't sooner. While the nose can be shy at first (this is a wine that performs well after some time out of the fridge) there are subtle whiffs of Campari, blood orange and Mediterranean brush that roll into an uber fresh palate driven by salt and acid.
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As with the white, this is the perfect starting point in an exploration of the red wines of the region. With fruit sourced from younger parcels dotted around the volcano, this is a wine that packs more power, length and perfume than anyone has a right to expect for so few dollars. Black cherry, raspberry and currant envelope a smokey, woodsy savoriness.
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Another offering from the new line-up of contrada wines, the Cavaliere offers a more modern and precise angle into Etna terroir. Less raw and less rustic than it's more established cousins, this is a brilliant example of what many are referencing when nodding to the Burgundian feels of the region's reds. Vibrant, lithe and versatile, there is almost no sense of rusticity here, with laser-focused red fruit and dried violet aromatics carried on ridiculously silky tannins.
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A long time stalwart in the Benanti stable, the Rovitello has been 'liquid evidence' of Etna's world-class potential long before the current craze for its wines had emerged. Sourced from parcels of 80+ year old Nerello Mascalese (and Cappuccio) vines on Etna's cool north side, the Rovitello, now with a few years under its belt is starting to hit its sweet spot. A heady mix of brooding red fruits, sandalwood, rose and crushed volcanic rock. A benchmark bottle for good reason.
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Antonio Benanti will be joining us for our 'Secret Garden Party' this coming Sunday, September 15th from 2-4pm. All offered below will be available to taste.
From now through until Monday, 9/16 we will be offering a 10% discount to our regular readers, and a 15% discount to our Biondivino Wine Club Members! Regular readers, use the discount code BENANTI at checkout to receive the deal, Wine Club Members, use the discount code ANTONIO.
All online order will be ready for pick up or shipping on Tuesday, September 17th or any time thereafter.
*No additional discounts can be applied. Any orders from non-Wine Club Members using the Wine Club discount will be rendered void and refunded immediately.
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SF Garden Party: Antonio Benanti Sunday Garden Party!
Sunday, September 15: 2pm-4pm
SAN FRANCISCO
$15 TASTING FEE (waived for Wine Club members)
We're going back to the garden for the last time this summer and we're bringing Antonio Benanti with us! One the two driving forces of Etna's iconic Benanti estate (along with his brother Salvino) and the newly appointed head of the Etna consorzio, Antonio will be gracing our 'secret garden' for a sunny Sunday session. As the modern day forefathers of Etna wine production, Antonio and his brother are steering the estate into a bright future and have just recently released a new raft of bonkers good, single contrada wines, many of which we'll be featuring on the day. Come hear it from the horses mouth and meet the man himself. Hell, we might even pull out some older bottles for the occasion. 6 wines.
Join us at our 1415 Green St location and we'll point you in the right direction.
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SF Importer Tasting: Festa di Foradori
Friday, September 20: 6-8pm
SAN FRANCISCO
$20 TASTING FEE (waived for Wine Club members)
While sadly we won't have the 'Queen of the Dolomites' here in person, we will have the Queen of Farm Wine Imports, Ms Claire Hill, with all of the lady's magical juice and plenty of knowledge. Elisabetta is a producer that needs little introduction; revered as one of Italy's greatest winemaking talents and a maven of biodynamic practices in the wine world, Elisabetta has all but forged a new path for her native Alto Adige since taking the reigns of her father's estate in the mid 80's. Today, she is also partnered in a second project on Tuscany's sunny Maremma coast: Ampeleia. Here, in a region known for Bordeaux flecked, power house reds, Elisabetta is turning out a range of relaxed, sunny and elegant wines that feel very decidedly Mediterranean at their core. We will be featuring wines from both projects on the night. 7 wines.
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SF Importer Tasting: Gulfi (Sicily)
Friday, September 27th: 6-8pm
SAN FRANCISCO
$15 TASTING FEE (waived for Wine Club members)
Long seen as Sicily's standard bearers of Nero d'Avola, the Gulfi estate has worked tirelessly over the last 3 decades to champion site-specific, wines of place, rising head and shoulders (and them some) above the waves of homogenous, mass-produced, and over-ripe plonk that long sullied the name of their beloved varietal. Under the guidance of lauded enologist, Salvo Foti, the Gulfi estate has forged a path for Nero d'Avola-based wines that display a poise, drive and expressiveness that is all but unrivaled in the state. Marcello Dellaccio, Wine Warehouse's Italian Wine Specialist will be on hand to speak to the wines. 5 wines.
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