A pure expression of Chardonnay, the Passopisciaro Vini Franchetti 2018 Passobianco is a generous wine with lots of honey, dried apricot and apple baked in butter. Ultimately, this expression from the volcanic soils of Etna stands apart from other great renditions of this versatile grape thanks to those dusty or ashy mineral notes as well as those slightly exotic hints of saffron and ground cumin. It is aged in oak casks and cement for 10 months. The wine's appearance is golden and bright, and the palate carries generous fruit weight and concentrated flavors. Grapes come from high-density vineyards at an impressive 850 to 1,000 meters in elevation from the terraces of Contrada Guardiola and Monte Dolce. Some 40,000 bottles were made.

The 2017 Passobianco shows a pretty straw-gold color with aromas of Golden Delicious apple, honey and a touch of sweetly toasted almond. This is a mid-weight wine that remains light and balanced on the palate thanks to those distinctive background notes of volcanic ash and sea salt. This is an extremely Mediterranean expression of Chardonnay. Some 25,000 bottles were released.

The 2016 Passobianco (a pure expression of Chardonnay) produces a lightweight but solid frame that reminds me on some metaphorical level of that special aluminum used to make racing bicycles. Indeed, this is a racy wine with steely aromas of citrus, white peach and Sicilian almond biscuit. It is put together with impeccable balance and precision. And of course, you get those vaguely scented volcanic notes on the silky finish. It is aged in a combination of large oak vats (for four months) and cement (for eight months). This is a terrific expression of Chardonnay from the deep south of Italy. Some 36,000 bottles were made.

This wine went by the name Guardiola until the 2013 vintage but has since changed names. The 2014 Passobianco is a pure expression of Chardonnay that ages in large oak casks for four months and is later moved to cement vats for an additional eight months. This wine opens to a pretty, luminous appearance and it shows impressive aromatic intensity with whiffs of stone fruit, pear, toasted almond and volcanic sulfur smoke. This white should evolve nicely over the next five years or more.