This is a special Pinot Noir from one of the most daring organic estates in Sicily. The Gulfi 2017 Pinò is lean in texture and shows a luminous dark ruby appearance. The bouquet is what stands out most thanks to aromas of sour cherry, dark violet, earth, candied almond and orange peel. This warm vintage is soft in terms of mouthfeel with medium freshness. Only 3,000 bottles were released.

The organic Gulfi 2016 Pinò gives us a good look at Pinot Noir cultivated on the volcanic soils of Etna at an impressive 850 meters above sea level where solar luminosity is aplenty but average temperatures are cooler. With a restrained 13% alcohol content, this wine delivers elegant and lean fruit weight with steady aromas of cassis, wild cherry and summer rose. The wine's overall personality remains subdued and true to the grape with plenty of fresh berry fruit spread over a lean and crisp mouthfeel. The results are terrific in this 3,000-bottle release that should hold firm to the 10-year mark and beyond. Despite these extreme growing conditions, this wine remains elegant and pure.

From a classic vintage on the island of Sicily, the 2014 Pinò (an IGT Terre Siciliane wine) is redolent of wild cherries, lavender, cassis and rose hip. This is a lean and compact red wine with good tension and energy delivered from within its fruit. This wine is prized for the delicate intensity and cheerful personality of its aromas. Only 3,000 bottles were made.

The 2013 Pinò is a pure expression of Pinot Nero with evident warm-climate overtones that are particularly apparent in this vintage. This is a fruit-forward and slightly jammy wine with succulent layers of raisin and prune that sneak through the tightly knit texture and the general austerity of its inner fiber. There are touches of candied fruit and dried apricot or orange peel on the close. As you continue to appraise the bouquet, it begins to offer black olive and scorched earth.

The 2011 Pinò is a fascinating wine. It is a pure expression of Pinot Nero from Mt. Etna. When the Etna appellation began its rise to fame some ten years ago, many producers pledged to plant the Burgundian variety on the charred slopes of this mighty volcano. Significant plantings of Pinot Nero never occurred as many vintners opted for the indigenous grape Nerello Mascalese instead. Gulfi remains committed to Pinto Nero on Etna and Pinò is the proud result. This wine acts to record what the grape can achieve in these heavily volcanic soils. It opens to a darkly saturated color (on the Pinot Nero color spectrum) and heavy aromas of dried cherry and cassis. There are distant floral notes but they are very faint in this warm vintage. The mouthfeel is polished and fresh. Ultimately, this wine is more expression of Etna than it is of the grape.