Sciara: Stef Yim’s impressive Etna wines, including the highest vineyard in Europe
Website: https://www.sciaraetna.com/
Jamie Goode catches up with Stef Yim of Sciara Dell’Etna, one of the most interesting producers from this exciting wine region
Stef Yim’s father is from Hong Kong and his mother is Japanese, but he grew up in Pasadena and Santa Monica. He started work as a sommelier in the USA and worked in an enoteca/restaurant, and enjoyed it so much that after just one year of college he quit to work in hospitality full time.
In 2006 he began his CMS (Court of Master Sommelier) exams, and then started making wine in northern California in 2008. He purchased some grapes and the guy who sold them to him helped him to make wine. But this wasn’t Napa: he much preferred working with cooler climate wine. ‘I gravitate towards elegance and purity,’ says Stef. He did this for a couple of years and then moved to Madiran in southwest France, where he loved working with Tannat, Gros Manseng and Petit Manseng.
Then he had a decision to make. Where did he want to work? He fell in love with wines from volcanic soils, and initially was leaning towards moving to Tenerife. But there was no good pasta, no good pizza and it was a long way from everywhere. In the end he opted for Etna – he’d travelled there numerous times while working in France. His reasons were threefold.
First, altitude. The threat of global warming is severe and Etna’s altitude gives options.
Second, the volcanic soils are amazing and allows for wines that evolve, as long as you don’t adjust the wines too much and make them naturally.
Third, it’s one of the few places in Europe you can still find 100 year old vines.
He began in Etna in 2015, and since then has accumulated nine different vineyard plots, in the North, West and South of the mountain.
A distinctive feature of Etna’s soils are the lapilli, which are smally fragments released by eruptions and which replenish the soils from time to time. Nowhere else in the wine world has these frequently replenished soils.
Stef’s vineyards have been organically certified since last year, and he only makes wines from estate vineyards. In 2023, like many others, he suffered from downy mildew and lost 60% of the crop.
In terms of winemaking, ‘I don’t follow any particular method,’ says Stef. For example, he changes the percentage of whole bunch and the length of maceration depending on the vintage. ‘I’m still learning every year. I’m not trying to make a consistent wine; I’m just trying to express the vintage.’ He uses sulfites and doesn’t believe in zero sulfite approaches. ‘I put in a little bit when needed.’ Still, his levels are very low, between 8 and 32 mg/litre total after bottling. But despite the low levels of sulfites, he says his ambition is to make wines for the long haul.
THE WINES
Sciara Ubriaco Sulla Luna 2021 Etna, Sicily, Italy
The name for this wine means ‘drunk on the moon’ and it is a light-hearted dig at himself: during Covid he got drunk in the vineyards on a regular basis. 12.5% alcohol. This is around half Carricante and the balance is Catarrato and Minena Bianco, with vines of various ages. Yellow/gold in colour, this has fresh aromatics with a hint of mint and lime on the nose as well as pith and grapefruit characters. The palate is fresh and textured with crystalline citrus fruit and a hint of apple, as well as complex waxy detail. Such an interesting wine with purity and crystalline notes as well as wax, honey and taut acidity. Thrilling. 95/100
Sciara Ubriaco Sulla Luna 2022 Etna, Sicily, Italy
Slightly cloudy yellow/gold colour. Lovely fresh, mineral nose with some mint and citrus pith, as well as some grapefruit. The palate is fresh and energetic with lively lime, some mandarin, and crystalline fruit, as well as pith and honey and even some apple. Lovely complexity here: this is fine and multidimensional. 95/100
Sciara 760 Etna Rosso 2020 Etna, Sicily, Italy
From two plots, this is around 90% Nerello Mascalese with the balance Nerello Cappuccio, as well as a few unknown vines. 25% aged in tonneaux, the rest in fibreglass and stainless steel tanks. Nice concentration here. It’s slightly shy on the nose, but has a powerful palate of cherries and raspberries with some attractive stony character, and a bit of waxy detail. There’s lovely acidity under the bright fruit with a fine red cherry finish. Good structure and purity, and nice depth here. 94/100
Sciara Nerello 980 2019 Etna, Sicily, Italy
This is varietal Nerello Mascalese (as close as you can get – there will be a few other vines in the plots) from three contrada, and the vineyards are a little higher (900-1000 m, volcanic sands). The three are Monte Dolce (gives a mineral twist), Carrana (gives power) and Barbabecchi (never over 11.8% alcohol). This is bright, fine and structured: it has an almost Barolo-like grippy quality. Fine, detailed and expressive with red cherries and nice tannins, as well as notes of dried herbs and minerals. This has lovely fruit intensity but also nice grip and structure. 96/100
Sciara Grenache 1200 2021 Etna, Sicily, Italy
This is from a single plot at 1200 m. Stef stumbled across this at the highest point of mount Etna, and at the time it was abandoned. It took him three weeks to find the owner. This is aged in amphora: he’s buried two in the vineyard. For this vintage the fermentation was done in the winery, then the wine bought back to the amphora in the vineyard to age – it’s too cold to do fermentation here. Very fine, juicy and tart with good structure to the pronounced red fruits. Firm tannins here, so it will need time, but lovely purity. Vivid, linear but elegant. 95/100
Sciara Centenario 2021 Etna, Sicily, Italy
This is 110 year old Nerello Mascalese from 630 m, aged in sandstone. It’s a lovely textural wine with red cherries and wild strawberries, showing nice energy and purity with grainy, stony detail. Really nice complexity here. There’s a rich core to this wine, which shows great concentration of flavour. 96/100
Sciara 1520 Metri 2022 Etna, Sicily, Italy
This is the highest vineyard in Europe, and it’s called Cru Cielo. Stef bought the 1.1 hectare plot in 2020 and planted 4550 vines. The varietal mix is interesting: clones of Pinot Noir plus some Grenache and Pinot d’Aunis. Lots of people said it wouldn’t work, and when they started boring holes, smoke came out of some of them. Slightly cloudy, pale red cherry colour. Wonderfully aromatic with green leafy, sappy red cherry fruit, as well as some redcurrant. Lively and energetic with some beetroot and rhubarb notes. The palate is fresh and textured with nice smoothness and silkiness, and with some roundness and warmth, it’s much less green than the nose. There’s also some wild strawberry and lavender. Just 70 bottles made this first year (it was made in demijohn). 96/100
An older report from September 2023:
Stef Yim was a sommelier in Los Angeles, and during his time working in restaurants he became fascinated by wines from volcanic soils. He also wanted to make wine, and his first attempt at this was with a couple of tons of grapes he bought from Lake County in California. Then in 2008 he moved to France, travelled to Madiran and worked as an intern for three vintages there. Afterwards, he pursued his volcanic dreams and almost bought vines on Tenerife, but then came to Etna, which he figured would be less isolating. He bought vines in nine different contrada and has made a series of wines based on altitude, which is why they have numbers. All fermentations are with wild yeast with no temperature control.
Sciara Ubriaco Sulla Luna 2021 Etna, Italy
This is a skin-fermented white from three parcels and a range of varieties. The grapes spend 20 days on their skins in ceramic spheres (Clayvers). Full yellow/gold in colour, this has a deep colour with a hint of mint, fennel and pine nut on the nose. The palate has layered flavours with pear and citrus as well as a lovely texture, showing complexity and detail. 95/100
Sciara 760 Etna Rosso 2020
90% Nerello Mascalese, 10% Nerello Cappuccio, from Taccione and Sciaranuova. 20% new oak, 80% fibreglass. 20 month elevage. Supple and elegant with fine spiciness and nice detail. Juicy and linear with grainy texture, good structure and drinkability. 94/100
Sciara 980 Etna Rosso 2020
From three parcels. The backbone is Carrana (930 m) with Monte Doice (900 m) and Rampanti (also called Batbabecchi, 860-990 m). 100% Nerello Mascalese, aged 20 months in a mix of barrel and fibreglass. This is supple and fresh with fine redcurrant and strawberry notes as well as a touch of raspberry. Lovely direct fruit here with a stony minerality and hints of sour cherry. Lively and juicy with some structure. 94/100
Sciara 1200 Etna Rosso 2020
This is Garnacha from Nave, fermented in an amphora buried in the vineyard at 1200 m. Lovely supple red fruits with red cherries and some stony notes. Very fine with redcurrants, spice and a hint of ginger. Structured and fresh with lovely purity and refinement. 96/100
Sciara Centenario 2021
From 630 m, this is 100% Nerello Mascalese on its own roots. 75% amphora, 25% fibreglass, 20 month elevage. Warm, rounded and supple with fine-grained tannins providing some grip. Peppery, vital palate with juiciness and a touch of tar and spice. Detailed, rounded and warm. 94/100
