A famed Sicilian winery that dates back centuries, Planeta’s agricultural history goes all the way back to the 17th century. Flash forward to the 1990s the winery moved to become a cooperative and later began growing non-indigenous varietals on their land. The family believed in the potential of varieties like Chardonnay and Syrah when nobody in the region were growing these grapes. They now produce a range of wines from all corners of Sicily, utilizing both indigenous and traditional varietals.
I can fondly recall first tasting these wines roughly 20 years ago. “A Syrah or Chardonnay from Sicily?” I thought. “This is a must-try!” I was amazed how these wines showed and how the terroir impressed me.
The new wines I tasted were very good across the board, none more so than the 2021 Planeta Chardonnay (OB, 92) — a wine that literally screams terroir with its stony and salty tones. Learn more about these outstanding wines at https://planeta.it/en and here are my reviews of the great new Planeta wines.
2022 Planeta Rose- This well-structured 2022 Rose comes off a touch lean with melon and red raspberry tones on the palate, showing good underlying verve. Enjoy now. Drink 2023-2027- 89
2021 Planeta ‘La Segreta’ White Wine- This awesome new white wine is a great combination of 50% Grecanico 30% Chardonnay 10% Viognier and 10% Fiano. This comes off soft on the palate with sweet kiwi and nectarine notes alongside a silky texture and copious minerals on the palate. Really good, this outstanding value is best consumed now and one the next few years. Drink 2023-2027- 91
2021 Planeta Chardonnay- Beautifully textured, salty and lithe, the 2021 Planeta Chardonnay was sourced from vineyards in Ulmo and Maroccoli, and was stored in French oak barrels before bottling. It is rich with nutmeg dusted brioche and starfruit tones alongside baked pear on the palate. This is really delicious stuff to enjoy right now. Drink 2023-2029- 92