2017 Carlo Hauner Hiera Terre Siciliane IGT Vulcano Italy 750 ml

For terroir-hunters and wine lovers seeking rare access to something wildly unique, this 2017 Carlo Hauner Hierà from a tiny volcanic island off southern Italy is a must-have. A blend of native red grapes, the Hierà has all the sun-kissed warmth of Châteauneuf-du-Pape with the polished mouthfeel of Pinot Noir—and a thrilling mineral character all its own.

Take it from Wine Advocate’s Monica Larner, who awarded 92-points to this $25 steal, calling it “a great value wine (if you can find it).” James Suckling gave the same score to this “pretty Sicilian red."

From some of the most dramatic terrain we’ve ever encountered, this deep crimson red is a bottled expression of the island of Vulcano. Its Nero d'Avola, Alicante, and Nocera grapes emit a beautiful mélange of savory-spiced plum, ruby grapefruit peel, cracked pepper, and sweet pipe tobacco aromas, which get an added kick from hints of exotic incense, dried purple flowers, and an iron-tinged kiss of wild game.

Juicy and ripe on entry, the palate is deeply satisfying with boundless energy and grippy, fine-grained tannins. A crushed rock minerality heightens a silky, Southern Rhône-like quality on the finish, adding an exclamation point to this compelling wine.

Just north of the eastern tip of Sicily, Vulcano juts out of the Tyrrhenian Sea—an eight square-mile strip of land only accessible by boat. As a result, very little of the island’s stunning wine ever leaves Vulcano—including the scant few cases that exist of this Hierà (which means “sacred island”).

It’s clear upon arriving in the port that Vulcano is unlike any other winemaking region: the sulfurous fumes from the active volcano for which it’s named make sure of that. Aside from the distinct smell, Vulcano’s scorched colors, sparse vegetation, and jagged terrain give the impression of a place on the edge. Though it became a 19th-century winemaking hub, a massive eruption in 1888 left the island nearly uninhabited for over 100 years. That is, until Carlo Hauner started replanting vines high up on its windswept slopes in 2000.

It wasn’t easy. Vulcano’s soils were covered by a hard, compact crust that had to be crushed into the mineral-rich material that now infuses Hauner’s vines. The annual rainfall is minimal, but the vines are nourished instead by high humidity which condenses overnight. A testament to the quality they now achieve, Hauner says the greatest danger to the vines is no longer the charred soils or drought, but the goats, wild rabbits, and island birds that descend on his grapes every year to enjoy their concentrated nectar. 

Considering the odds these grapes are up against, it’s a miracle the few that survived even made it into Hauner’s 2017 Hierà. Which is why we can’t get enough of this sensual, intense, supple wine—it’s the sum of some of the wildest terroir we’ve yet come across in a single bottle.