2022 Ciro Biondi, Etna Bianco "Outis"

Ciro Biondi’s family has farmed vineyards on the southeast slope of Mount Etna since the early 1800s. His modern-day operation, scarcely larger than a backyard garden, is a source of impeccable whites and reds alike. Spanning just five hectares or so on the southeast slope of Mount Etna, the Ciro Biondi label and winery is relatively new, having been founded in 1999. Ciro Biondi’s ancestors bottled wine under the Biondi name more than a century ago, and while an assortment of vineyard holdings passed down through the generations, they weren’t always well cared for. Ciro, an architect, renovated an old stone winery structure in one of the three small, lovingly restored vineyards he owns in and around the village of Trecastagni. All three sites sit at altitudes ranging from 600-700 meters, with east/southeast expositions and soils comprised mainly of Etna’s black, mineral-rich volcanic pumice. Vines are trained in the traditional alberello, or “bush,” method: they look like miniature orc