From a celebrated vineyard site in Castiglione di Sicilia, the Tenuta Tascante 2020 Etna Rosso Contrada Rampante has a specific quality that starts off with wild cherry and then peels back to embrace crushed stone and fragrant rose. This wine offers firm depth and good length delivered with extra sharpness. This release of 5,500 bottles matures in large oak casks for 12 months. The vines in Contrada Rampante date back to 2000 and are perched at a cool and breezy 740 meters in elevation. The vineyards of Etna are all distinguished by different soil types that vary according to the date of the volcanic eruption (or layered eruptions) that created them. This site is located on a lava flow created 15,000 to 4,000 years ago. You can expect a certain amount of erosion and sand as a result of that long time frame. These soils contribute to the wine's focus, complexity and those salty flavors.

Uplifting nuances of mint and strawberry are brilliantly countered by a grounding earthiness that reaches mineral depths. This is elegantly weighted with enduring strength, and the tannins exhibit a powerful stoniness yet are gracefully proportioned. Really the epitome of balance – but nowhere near ready. Introduced in 2018, Cerequio (along with Monvigliero) is among the most recent editions to Vietti’s lineup of single-MGA Barolos. The 0.79 hectare plot purchased from Michele Chiarlo falls within the Barolo township just above Sarmassa.

The 2023 Trebbiano Capezzana is youthfully coy, mixing hints of ginger with wildflowers and lime. It's round and supple with a whiplash of zesty acidity and a saline flourish offsetting nearly oily textures and depths of ripe nectarine. It finishes tense and incredibly long, tapering off with a cheek-puckering lemony concentration. The 2023 is painfully young today but full of potential.

The NV Brut Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore Bosco di Gica entices with a bouquet that’s more savory than sweet. A note of green apple mixes with mint leaf and wet stone hints. It impresses further with its mix of tension and elegance. Brisk acidity and tart orchard fruits contrast its creamy wave of fine bubbles. A saline tinge lingers on along with a Granny Smith resonance that keeps the senses salivating as this finishes with excellent length and freshness. This is a fantastic value.

The 2023 Valdobbiadene Vigneto Giardino Rive di Colbertaldo Asciutto is delicate yet remarkably pretty, wafting up with a cascade of floral perfumes and hints of sweet spice, peach sorbet and nectarine. It floods the palate with a creamy bead of fine bubbles and ripe orchard fruits, all guided by brilliant acidity as a nuance of candied citrus informs the close. Notes of green apple, melon and a sensation of liquid stone appear as the 2023 finishes with amazing length and complexity. This is fantastic.

A dense, solidly built version, whose core of cherry and raspberry fruit is accented by iron, wild herb and juniper notes. Focused by vibrant acidity and underlined with chalky tannins, this red is long and detailed on the finish. Best from 2027 through 2045.

Cherry and eucalyptus flavors lend a tug between the fruit and savory elements in this fresh and complex red. Rose, tar, tobacco and leafy notes add interest as this turns dry on the finish. Best from 2027 through 2043.

From vineyards planted in 2008, the Tenuta Tascante 2020 Etna Rosso Contrada Sciaranuova (with 5,500 bottles created) has a ruby shine that seems more luminous in this vintage. The bouquet is subtle, but there is noteworthy complexity here with ashy mineral, pressed violet and cassis. There is also an interesting note of bitter almond that leans directly into a tight tannic backbone. This contrada based in Randazzo sits at 730 meters in elevation and enjoys both northern and southern exposures. The wine ages in 25-hectoliter Slavonian oak casks for 12 months with a small percentage of 300-liter tonneaux as well.