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IDDA by Gaja & Graci · Mount Etna, Sicily
GAJA on Mount Etna
Like Burgundy in the Mediterranean
Glorious Rosso & Bianco
When the first family of Piedmont moves to the volcano, the wine world stops to listen. The 2024 IDDA Bianco has 94 points from Wine Enthusiast and Decanter; the 2023 Etna Rosso now has three 94s. Plus seven more Etna wines we love.
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The Partnership
A Co-Ownership Between the Gaja Children & Alberto Graci
IDDA is a co-ownership between all of Angelo Gaja’s children, Gaia, Rossana and Giovanni Gaja, and Alberto Graci, one of the leading winemakers on Etna. The Gaja children bring the dynasty’s winemaking philosophy and international reach; Graci brings an intimate knowledge of Etna’s terroir. They started together in 2017.
And the name? IDDA means “she” in the Sicilian dialect, the term of endearment and awe with which Sicilians refer to Mount Etna.
The Volcano
Why everyone is chasing these bottles
It’s the soil. IDDA farms 50 acres at 2,000 to 2,600 feet on Etna’s southern slopes, in Biancavilla and Belpasso. The soils of Biancavilla are lighter in color and among the oldest of all Etna; Belpasso’s are more porous and darker, full of volcanic rock.
Wine Advocate’s Monica Larner adds the weather: a local fog called “acquazzina” that offers some respite during the hottest months, and cool winds that blow inland from the sea. The result is wine that is floral and savory, with a salty, mineral backbone.
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2,000–2,600 ft
Vineyard Elevation
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50 Acres
Belpasso & Biancavilla
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Since 2017
Gaja + Graci
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The New Vintage
2024 IDDA Bianco.
Wine Enthusiast 94. Decanter 94. Vinous 93. Wine Advocate 93. James Suckling 92.
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Gaja IDDA Bianco Sicilia DOC 2024
Mount Etna, Sicily
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94
Wine Enthusiast
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94
Decanter
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93
Vinous
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93
Wine Advocate
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92
James Suckling
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Decanter calls it a quintessential expression of Carricante, from vineyards at 600 to 800 meters, whole-bunch pressed and aged in oak and stainless steel. A dry, hot 2024 brought harvest forward two weeks, and Wine Advocate finds it very mineral and salty, more focused and longer than the 2023. Every review is below.
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Wine Enthusiast
94 Points
Marvelously savory and intensely saline, the structure and substance of this white really stand out, even in a crowded field. In the case of the Idda wines I think I might prefer their red, but wow is it a competition. Better to have both colors and sip them one after the other.
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Decanter · Jason Millar
94 Points
Fruit from vineyards lying at 600m-800m yields a quintessential expression of Carricante, aged in a mix of oak and stainless steel. Sweet orchard fruits, lanolin and saffron blend with lemon zest and flint. Piercing yet also structured, it shows a relatively creamy mid-palate and a subtly viscous texture, while turning more savoury on the long, mineral-driven finish. Will be even better in five to 10 years. Drinking Window: 2026-2036. Mar 2026
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Vinous · Eric Guido
93 Points
Distinctly savory on the nose, the 2024 Bianco unfolds with nuances of stone dust, dried herbs, incense and Asian pear. It’s soft-textured and round with ripe orchard fruits, spice and a gentle reverberation of salty minerality. This cleans up beautifully through the finish, leaving a subtle saline concentration and hints of tart citrus. Aug 2025
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Wine Advocate · Monica Larner
93 Points
The Idda 2024 Sicilia Bianco is very mineral and salty, especially when tasted next to the softer 2023 vintage before it. This vintage is about direction, focus and linearity. The mouthfeel is also leaner compared to 2023, but the current vintage is longer lasting… they bottle in May or June of the following year “to capture the energy of the grape,” Alberto Graci tells me. Drinking Window: 2025-2032. Jun 2025
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James Suckling
92 Points
A fresh, peppery style with a spicy, citrusy nose and core aromas of stone fruit. Medium-bodied. More focused on the rich palate than on the aromatic profile. Enjoyable texture and length. Drink now. Jun 2025
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| Grape |
Carricante (Decanter) |
| Vineyards |
Biancavilla and Belpasso, Etna’s south slope, 600 to 800 m (Decanter) |
| Cellar |
Whole-bunch cold press; 6 to 9 months in oak and stainless steel |
| Drink |
2026 to 2036 (Decanter) |
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The Red · Now Three 94s
2023 IDDA Etna Rosso.
James Suckling 94. Vinous 94. Wine Enthusiast 94. Wine Advocate 93.
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Gaja IDDA Etna Rosso DOC 2023
Mount Etna, Sicily
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94
James Suckling
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94
Vinous
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94
Wine Enthusiast
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93
Wine Advocate
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In April it had 94s from James Suckling and Vinous; Wine Enthusiast has since made it three. Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Cappuccio from Biancavilla on Etna’s southwest slope, at 700 to 800 meters, fermented about three weeks partly in oak and concrete, then 18 months in oak and concrete.
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Wine Enthusiast · New Since April
94 Points
Savory, smoky, earthy, dense—a substantial and sophisticated wine that feels very connected to its Etna context but also has a cosmopolitan quality, like a child who goes to live abroad and then returns always the same, but with polish and perspective.
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James Suckling
94 Points
The aromas of cranberries, pears, honeysuckle and other white flowers are enticing. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannins and a fresh, bright finish. A little closed now but already very enjoyable. Drink or hold. Jun 2025
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Vinous
94 Points
The wonderfully floral and graceful 2023 Etna Rosso blossoms in the glass with mineral-laden crushed rocks, dusty rose and dried black cherries. Perfumed red berry fruits soothe as a tactile mineral crunch evolves toward the close. Tart cranberry saturation and nuances of spice remain, and edgy tannins pinch at the cheeks without detracting from the 2023’s nearly sultry energy.
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Wine Advocate
93 Points
The Idda 2023 Etna Rosso is primarily Nerello Mascalese that shows a dark garnet hue with aromas of blackcurrant, crushed stone and black olive. You feel the intensity of a hot vintage in the aromas of this medium-bodied Etna Rosso. Idda’s production is 70% white wines and 30% reds. Fruit for this wine comes from the estate’s vineyard in Biancavilla.
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| Grapes |
Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Cappuccio |
| Vineyard |
Biancavilla, Etna’s southwest slope, 700 to 800 m |
| Cellar |
About three weeks of fermentation partly in oak and concrete; 18 months in oak and concrete |
| Drink |
2025 to 2033 (Wine Advocate) |
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More From The Volcano
Seven More Etna Wines We Love.
Three whites and four reds, from $27.97 to $109.99.
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Etna Whites
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North Slope · Growing Since 1865
WS 91 (2023) · JD 90 (2024) · JS 90 (2024)
The Tornatores trace their Etna grape growing back to 1865. Carricante from terraces at 650 meters on the north slope. Jeb Dunnuck on the 2024: “It’s a stellar value with a great sense of place that screams of summer.”
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Pure Carricante
JS 94 · VM 91
Pietradolce means “sweet stone,” an ode to Etna: pure Carricante, the volcano’s ancient white grape. James Suckling, 94: “Very typical for the region’s whites with pears, green apples, sea salt, brine and seaweed.”
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Donnafugata · Five Critics At 92+
JS 93 · WA 92 · JD 92 · WE 92 · WS 92
Carricante from Donnafugata’s vineyards on Etna’s north slope. Jeb Dunnuck: “It has an outstanding, waxy texture reminiscent of Marcona almonds.” Wine Spectator: “This lovely, crowd-pleasing white… long, salty, mineral-driven finish.”
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Etna Reds
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Pietradolce · Nerello Mascalese
Falstaff 92
100% Nerello Mascalese from young vines, in the winery’s words step one to the enjoyment and appreciation of Etna terrain. Falstaff, 92: “Elegant bouquet, with notes of red currant, liquorice and some dried orange peel.”
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Donnafugata · North Slope
VM 91 · WS 90
Nerello Mascalese with a little Nerello Cappuccio. Vinous, 91: “Juicy and energetic with crisp red fruits that swirl across a crunchy mineral core… I love how the Sul Volcano is both fun and serious.”
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Tasca d’Almerita · Tenuta Tascante
JS 95 · JD 92 · WA 92 · VM 91
From a family making wine across Sicily for over 200 years; Ghiaia Nera means “black gravel,” for Etna’s dark volcanic soils. James Suckling, 95: “A very pretty, perfumed, young Etna rosso with plenty of fresh flowers, focus and finesse… Best ever?”
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Donnafugata · Contrada Montelaguardia
WE 94 · VM 93 · JS 93 · DM 92 · WS 90
Fragore is Italian for “thunder,” the roar of the volcano: a single contrada, Montelaguardia, at about 730 meters on the north slope. Wine Enthusiast, 94: it “captures the explosive tension of the volcano, and remains a delight to drink.”
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The Bottom Line
Gaja on the volcano, in both colors.
The new 2024 IDDA Bianco is $54.99 and the 2023 Etna Rosso is $78.99. As Wine Enthusiast put it: better to have both colors and sip them one after the other.
And if the volcano gets under your skin, the seven Etna wines above run from $27.97 to $109.99.
Ciao!
— James Tran
Artisan Wine & Spirits
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