Strikingly unique, the 2011 Perricone Ribeca is the most fascinating wine in Firriato’s portfolio. Not many vintners produce pure expressions of Perricone. This native Sicilian grape was largely used as a blending agent. Of those who do have Perricones in their portfolios, none reach the level of complexity, intensity and textural finesse found in Ribeca. The wine shows dark, inky concentration and sweet aromas of blackberry, plum and exotic spice. The jury’s out on how the obvious oak presence (from ten months in French oak) will integrate with time. Drink 2015-2022. The ultimate Sicilian power couple, Salvatore Di Gaetano and the ever-alluring Vinzia Novara are the brains, brawn and beauty behind one of Sicily’s most successful, but highly individualistic brands. Firriato has always marched to its own drum. They are part of the first wave of bigger companies to invest on Etna, and they are the first to make wine on the arid island of Favignana off the Trapani coastline. The Firriato winemaking style is, to my mind, the most oak-forward and “international” in Sicily today. Importer: Soilair Selection, www.soilairselection.com