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Frank Cornelissen

Munjebel Bianco 2021

Price: $60.00
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Tasting notes

This wine sits in a rare register: the four-day skin maceration gives it tannic grip and dried apricot depth, while the volcanic soils and high-altitude sites (620–750m) deliver a saline, flinty backbone and laser-sharp acidity that keeps it from ever feeling heavy. At 11.5% ABV, it drinks more like a textural, mineral-driven white than a typical orange wine.

BodyFruitTanninAcidity
Lemon PeelDried ApricotGingerFlint
  • Style: Skin-contact white; 50% Grecanico Dorato, 50% Carricante; volcanic Etna north slope; 11.5% ABV
  • Grapes & Terroir: 50% Grecanico Dorato, 50% Carricante; organic; decomposed basalt and volcanic ash; vineyards Calderara, Borriglione, Crasà, Picciolo; 620–750m asl
  • Winemaking: Hand-harvested; ~4-day skin maceration; spontaneous fermentation; neutral epoxy tanks (1,500–4,500L); no fining, no SO2 additions
  • Serving: Serve at 52–58°F; 20–30 min decant or open 30 min before serving; natural sediment may be present
  • Pairing: Raw and grilled seafood, linguine alle vongole, seared tuna, aged caciocavallo, roasted fennel
  • Similar To: For fans of skin-contact Friulano or Gravner-style whites who want volcanic mineral tension at lower alcohol

Munjebel Bianco is a 50/50 blend of Grecanico Dorato and Carricante from four vineyards on Etna's northern slope: Calderara, Borriglione, Crasà, and Picciolo, situated between 620 and 750 meters above sea level. Vines are trained in the traditional alberello (bush-vine) system on decomposed basalt and volcanic ash soils. The wine is labeled Terre Siciliane IGT.

Grapes are hand-harvested and destemmed before approximately four days of skin maceration with indigenous yeasts. Fermentation and aging take place in neutral epoxy tanks ranging from 1,500 to 4,500 liters. No fining agents, no sulfite additions, and no filtration before bottling — natural sediment may be present.

The result is an amber-tinged, textural white with a saline spine, bright citrus character (Meyer lemon, lemon peel), ginger, dried apricot, and a flinty minerality that reflects the volcanic soils. Body is medium with noticeable but fine tannins from the skin contact and high, mouthwatering acidity on the finish.

Frank Cornelissen has been producing this wine from multiple contrade on Etna's northern valley since 2001. Munjebel is the local Sicilo-Arabic word for Mount Etna. The Bianco classico is the entry point into Cornelissen's white wine range, below the single-vineyard VA (Vigne Alte) bottling from ungrafted vines at 900–1,000 meters.

Wine details

Dry/Sweet:, Dry
Wine Type:, Orange Wine
Wine Style:, Medium Body
Grapes:, Grecanico Dorato, Carricante
Farming:, Organic
Vintage:, 2021
Alcohol:, 11.5%
Country:, Italy
Region:, Sicily
Appellation:, Terre Siciliane IGT
Bottle Size:, 750ml
Sugar Level:, Zero Added Sugar

The wine's salinity and acidity make it a strong match for raw or lightly prepared seafood: crudo, grilled branzino, or linguine alle vongole. It also handles fatty, umami-rich dishes well — try it alongside seared tuna, miso-glazed fish, or a plate of aged caciocavallo. The skin-contact tannins give it enough structure to pair with vegetable-forward dishes like roasted fennel or eggplant caponata.

We will process and ship your order in 2-3 business days, you will receive a shipping confirmation email with tracking as soon as the Carrier scans the shipping label.

Ground shipping time depends on location, here's a breakdown:

West Coast: 1-2 business days
Midwest: 3-4 business days
East Coast: 5 business days

Process time is not shipping time. Shipping time starts from the days successive to the day of shipping, after the order has been processed.

See here our shipping policy.


Important Compliance Requirements

FedEx and other carriers we might occasionally use can only deliver wine to customers who are 21 years or older. Someone must be at the address to receive the package, carriers don't just drop a package and leave. They must ensure the person receiving the wine is 21 or older.


Re-shipping a Package

If a package is returned to us after three failed delivery attempts, we can only re-ship the wine upon payment of a re-shipping fee, to be determined based on the shipping address and number of bottles. Shipping wine is extremely expensive. We are sorry about this, but we have no other choice. Please make sure there's always someone at the address you enter as your shipping address.

If you'd like to receive a refund for a package that was returned to us after FedEx made three delivery attempts, we can do that but we must keep a $20 refund fee; FedEx charges us a lot of money for returns, unfortunately, I can't stress this enough.


Re-routing a Package

If you'd like to reroute a package after it's been shipped, we can do so for a $20 re-routing fee. We cannot re-route a package across state borders. For any change of address, please contact us as soon as possible, ideally within 1-2 days from placing the order or we cannot guarantee we'll be able to reroute or change your order's shipping address.


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If you'd like to cancel an order after it's been shipped, we can do so upon payment of a small cancellation fee – the amount depends on the size of the order. Carriers charge us a lot of money to recall a package en-route.


Heat/Frost damage

We are not responsible for heat- or frost-related issues. We offer ice-packs upon request. Please let us know if you think that there could be heat-related issues. If we don't hear anything from you regarding weather issues before an order is shipped, or if you don't request a hold due to the weather, we are not responsible for heat/frost damage.


Placed an order. What next?

1. You will receive an order confirmation email with your order summary.*

2. As soon as your order ships from the warehouse, usually within 2-3 business days, this applies to all shipping rates, you will receive a shipping confirmation email with your tracking information. 2DAY shipping refers to shipping time; we still need 2-3 business days to prepare an order. We need to pick and pack, QA, add printed collateral, and palletize the orders.

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4. The carrier will attempt delivery a maximum of 3 times. After 3 delivery attempts, your package will be sent back to our warehouse.**

*Please ensure your email address is correct; otherwise, you will not receive the order and shipping confirmation emails.

**If delivery is attempted 3 times without success, or if you fail to retrieve your package from the carrier depot by the stated deadline, the shipping fee will not be refunded to the customer.

Returns Policy

If you are not satisfied with your purchase, please contact us at (424) 414-2040 or via e-mail at hello@primalwine.com between 9 am and 5 pm Pacific Standard Time, Monday through Sunday, we would like to understand and try to solve your concerns. We can offer refunds only as store credit.

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Producer profile

Frank Cornelissen

Frank Cornelissen is a Belgian-born producer who moved to the northern slope of Mount Etna in 2000 and released his first vintage in 2001, starting with 0.4 hectares. He now manages approximately 24 hectares spread across multiple contrade in the northern valley, with vineyards located between 650 and 1,000 meters above sea level. His winery is based in Solicchiata, in the commune of Castiglione di Sicilia. He is considered one of the most influential figures in the natural wine movement globally.

Vineyards are farmed organically and planted predominantly in the alberello (bush-vine) training system. The estate includes a mix of old vines — some pre-phylloxera and ungrafted — and newer plantings propagated from the estate's own ungrafted material. Cornelissen avoids soil-tilling where possible, uses buckwheat to restore organic matter, and has interplanted fruit trees and maintains beehives to support biodiversity. Grape yields are kept very low, typically 300–600 grams per vine for top vineyards.

Cornelissen's winemaking approach avoids all additions in both the vineyard and cellar. No sulfur dioxide is added, no fining agents are used, and fermentations are spontaneous using only indigenous yeasts. For the Munjebel Bianco, grapes are destemmed and lightly crushed before approximately four days of skin maceration. Aging takes place in neutral epoxy tanks of 1,500 to 4,500 liters. The wine is bottled without fining and with minimal or no filtration.

Wine region

Sicily, Italy

Mount Etna is an active stratovolcano in the northeastern corner of Sicily, rising to 3,357 meters. The Etna DOC, established in 1968 as Sicily's first DOC, wraps around the northern, eastern, and southern slopes of the volcano across 20 communes in the province of Catania. Vineyards sit between roughly 450 and 1,100 meters above sea level, with the northern valley — centered on the communes of Castiglione di Sicilia and Solicchiata — regarded as the premier zone for single-vineyard wines. The land is parceled into over 130 recognized contrade, each with distinct soil profiles shaped by lava flows of different ages.

Soils on Etna are a mosaic of decomposed basalt, volcanic ash, lapilli, and solidified lava — rocky, fast-draining, and mineral-rich in magnesium and iron. The high altitude creates significant diurnal temperature variation, producing a long growing season unusual for a Mediterranean latitude. Harvest at lower elevations begins in September and extends to late October or November at the highest sites. The primary white grape varieties permitted in Etna DOC Bianco are Carricante and Catarratto, while indigenous varieties such as Grecanico Dorato, Minnella Bianca, and Coda di Volpe are grown across the northern valley. Wines carrying these varieties outside the DOC blend requirements are bottled as Terre Siciliane IGT.

Frequently asked question

We will process and ship your order in 2-3 business days, you will receive a shipping confirmation email with tracking as soon as the Carrier scans the shipping label.

Ground shipping time depends on location, here's a breakdown:

West Coast: 1-2 business days
Midwest: 3-4 business days
East Coast: 5 business days

Process time is not shipping time. Shipping time starts from the days successive to the day of shipping, after the order has been processed.

See here our shipping policy.

Signature on delivery is mandatory for wine deliveries. Please make sure someone is at the shipping address to sign for the package.

If applicable, please consider delivering the package to a business address to ensure someone is available to sign for the package.

We also have the option of delivering the package to a Carrier's store for pickup. Please reach out to us to coordinate.

Carrier will try to delivery a package up to three times before returning the package to us.

See here our shipping policy.

If you miss a delivery and a package gets returned to us we have two options:

1) Reship the package right away: due to the very high cost of shipping and returns, we must charge a re-shipping fee to be determined based on package size and shipping destination.

2) Consolidate the returned package with your next order: this option is free of charge and it's the most popular option.

See here our shipping policy.

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