Tornatore Etna Wines

Etna – the mountain and the wine appellation surrounding it – provides a jaw-dropping landscape, one every wine lover should see. Millions of gnarled old vines grow out of avalanches of dark, crumbling lava soils with a massive, commanding peak looming in the background. The theme of Mount Etna is ever destruction and renewal, fueled by a boundless energy residing deep within the earth. The active volcano is always erupting – sometimes spectacularly, with fireworks and rivers of molten rock, and other times with just a distant plume of smoke. RAJ PARR, The Sommeliers Atlas of Taste

Tornatore is the new kid in town. I visited this relatively new name on Etna a few months ago and was blown away. MONICA LARNER

Its tense, savory, mineral-driven whites are among the best in the denomination and show real aging potential. The firm’s reds are equally gorgeous, especially those from Pietrarizzo and Trimarchisa, which boast juicy fruit and a weightless elegance. KERIN O’KEEFE, wineenthusiast.com

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We’re lucky enough to see a lot of wine here at PWS. Most are very correct in their expressions and lovely to drink. But sometimes wines have an extra factor that really grip you and make you take note – it’s like they send an electric shock upon your first sip, reprimanding you for thinking they’re just another wine to taste. Well these Tornatore wines are the equivalent of encountering a ray’s stinger – but in a very good way! Etna’s wines are transformative. Pulsating with the molten rock and crumbling lava soils from the active volcano, their minerally veins are refreshed with precise fruit articulation and nervy acidity thanks to their high altitude farming. The preternatural beauty and isolation of Etna results in original and exhilarating wines. The reds are centred around nerello mascalese, a grape often compared to pinot noir. They share many similarities including low colour, moderate tannin and refreshing acidity. Most interesting, both have extraordinary site sensitivity. The complex volcanic soils offer a cacophony of deep dark clays, minerals and rocks which imbue different characteristics into the wines, and nerello mascalese is a perfect conduit. The leading white Etna grape is carricante (not to be confused with cataratto which is prolific in the surrounding areas of Sicily). Carricante is rare, it’s grown in just 146 acres on the eastern slopes of Etna. Its ability to reach ripeness at low alcohol levels while maintaining acidity makes it a perfect candidate for aging and is reminiscent of Chablis -especially in its minerally tension. Enter Tornatore. As a child in the 60s, Francesco Tornatore was encouraged by his dad to ‘study, escape the countryside.’ He moved to Milan and did well in business, shortly after in the 70s he began buying vineyards back in Etna, adding to holdings his family had since 1865. Today they’re one of the largest vineyard owners on Etna, with parcels in top crus like Pietrarizzo, Trimarchisa and Pietramarina. From humble beginnings, they’ve been ahead of the curve gathering the best sites. They remained grape growers until 2012 when they established a winery and started making wine. Piano, piano – nothing is rushed here. Today with a combination of their sites and sensitive winemaking they are making incredibly delicious and original Etna wines. Today we’re offering both the bianco and rosso, they’re $40 each in a straight 6 pack buy. If you'd like a mixed 6 pack (3 each) we can do that for $250
Tornatore Etna Rosso and Bianco – Original Volcanic Wines