A pure expression of Chardonnay, the 2012 Sicilia Chardonnay Jale Tenuta Ficuzza also sees fruit sources from the Tenuta di Ficuzza that ranges from 700 to 800 meters above sea level with largely white clay and red clay soils. This wine had seen a steady arch of quality improvement over the past years and the 2012 vintage is the best I have tasted so far. The wine boasts a luminous, golden color with copper highlights. The bouquet is beautifully redolent of peach, melon, nectarine and lemon mousse with almond paste and saline notes as well. It ages for six months in barrique. The overall effect is fresh and focused with good persistency to boot. Drink 2014-2019. Diego and Alberto Cusumano are two of the handsome faces that I most associate with the modern Sicilian wine renaissance. When Sicilian wine really started to pick up speed two decades ago, the Cusumano brothers were an important part of the “Rat Pack” (including Tasca, Donnafugata and Planeta) at the tippy top of the production pyramid. They are tireless promoters and hardworking managers. They’ve definitely quieted down over the past five years or so, choosing to focus on recent land acquisitions (including 15 hectares on Etna) and new winery construction. Always a strong presence in domestic markets (it is one of the top-consumed brands in Sicily, for example), I get the sense that Cusumano is now shifting focus to foreign markets (they recently signed with Terlato Wines as their U.S. importer). I’d also like to report on a big upswing in quality, especially among Cusumano’s entry-level wines. The addition of the vineyard names to the front label is also new. Importer: Terlato Wines, www.terlatowines.com