BB | Pale garnet to tawny, pink rim. Youthful, vinous nose, with pomegranate, cranberry, wild strawberry, blood orange, and wild herbs. Medium-bodied, with super-fine tannins, super acidity, sweet cranberries, and red stone fruits. Long and refined. 94
AJ | Very light and translucent, with some bricking toward the meniscus. Refined, warm, harmonious, and at ease, with the fresh fruits now set back and the sweeter buried autumnal sugars coming forward; a lovely, mellow, end-of-season glow here. Perfect maturity, it would seem; the wine at its aromatic apogee. A wonderful nose journey. Full and ample compared to the more sparely fleshed of its peers, yet fresh and nuanced, too—2016 was clearly a very good vintage for Etna. Great harmony and poise. The balance is so serene that one is almost in danger of underestimating the composition. This is a sublime wine of magnificent poise, naturalness of articulation, uniqueness, and truth to place. 97
MP | Delicate notes of cooked plum, cherry, raspberry, violet, wet leaves, forest floor, leather, cinnamon, coconut, and cedar. The palate shows admirable concentration, with a lovely balance of fruit, acidity, and alcohol. Now at the peak of its powers, this nonetheless has the complexity and balance associated with high-quality, mature red wine—a quality all too rare in this tasting. 94