Very potent aromas of blackcurrants and toasted oak with hints of eucalyptus and black-cherry liqueur, following through to a full palate with firm tannins that drive the fruit on through the long finish. There’s a kind of raw, almost rough-and-ready character to this that’s a bit hard work now. Will even out with bottle age. One for the cellar. Try from 2024.

The organic and biodynamic Alois Lageder 2018 Chardonnay Löwengang offers a medley of ripe fruit and apricot with soft spice and toasted cinnamon. Aged mostly in barrique and some larger wooden barrel, the oak is well balanced overall, owing more to the textural richness of the mouthfeel, as well as to the warm and toasted notes that appear on the bouquet. There is plenty of soft fruit to flesh it out. This wine is prime for a generous 10-year drinking window.

Savory juniper, mint and floral aromas give way to cherry and strawberry flavors in this high-pitched red.  Firms up, with refined, yet pointed tannins lining the lingering finish.  Best from 2024 through 2036.

Broad and saturated with cherry, black currant and plum flavors, this red is expansive and yet well defined. The ripe fruit is offset by nervous tannins, leaving a resonant, energetic feel on the lengthy finish. Eucalyptus, iron and tobacco notes add detail. Best from 2025 through 2047. 642 cases made, 193 cases imported.

The Tenuta Tascante 2017 Etna Rosso Contrada Sciaranuova also comes from the Randazzo village, where the volcanic geology is quite complex, with new and ancient lava flows that crisscross and where viticulture transitions to important pistachio nut farming. This delicate wine opens to a mild ruby color and offers pretty notes of wild plum, dark cherry, tarry smoke and campfire ash. And yes, there is a distinctive touch of toasted nut or pistachio. The tannins are firm in this wine, revealing important staying power to the palate. Serve it with a cheese-and-honey platter with slices of fresh bread and savor those nutty notes.

Loaded with elegance, this radiant white offers delicate scents of white stone fruit, white spring wildflowers, camphor and crushed fennel seed. Medium-bodied and boasting a polished, almost creamy texture, the delicious palate delivers ripe yellow apple, white peach, tangerine drop candy and saline before closing on bitter almond. Fresh acidity and mineral notes keep it energized.

Made with fruit from old vines, the Tenuta Tascante 2017 Etna Rosso Contrada Sciaranuova V.V. is powerful and delicate at the same time, and it strikes a careful balance between these two opposing forces. This is one of the biggest compliments you can give to a wine from Etna, one of the most dramatic and violent winemaking panoramas on Earth. This lovely Nerello Mascalese shows aromas of cherry and wild rose with toasted nut, scorched earth and lavender essence. The concentration and staying power from those old vines add considerably to the depth, tannic power and complexity of this age-worthy bottle.