2017 Magma

With fruit from the Contrada Barbabecchi, the 2017 Magma is a wine of extreme and unique individuality. This is something that can be said of all the wines I have ever tasted from Frank Cornelissen over these many years. When I think back over his body of work, I am also reminded that no two wines ever taste the same. Even the same bottle won't taste the same if you choose to drink it in a different setting or in different company. These are shadow-shifting wines that morph into fluid and abstract definitions of what wine really is—and what we do and do not like about it. It also occurs to me that all the abstract and psychedelic meaning that can be inferred from his wines suddenly makes perfect sense against the surreal and otherworldly backdrop that is Etna. If you love Cornelissen's wines, you'll like this one too. If you don't like his wine, please look away.