Tenuta delle Terre Nere - Etna Rosso "20deg" Anniversario Della Contrada Di Calderara Sottana D.O.C. 2022 750ml (14% abv)

• 100% Nerello Mascalese from the contrada of Calderara Sottana on the northern slopes of Mount Etna
• This bottling celebrates the 20th anniversary of the first harvest
• A selection of grapes from the 3-hectare ‘Bellacolonna’ subplot of Calderara Sottana planted in 2006 & 2007
• 600-650 meters above sea level
• Extremely rocky volcanic soils comprised of black pumice and solid volcanic rocks
• Fermentation takes place under controlled temperatures with spontaneous malolactic fermentation
• Aging in French oak barriques, tonneaux and cask (10% new oak) for 14 months before resting in stainless steel prior to bottling
• Approximately 2,900 cases

“Proprietor Marc de Grazia is one of the pioneers of the Etna. Not only was he among the first producers to recognize the value of these once-forgotten, ancient terroirs, he also was the first producer to bring attention to the specific qualities of these vineyards by bottling single-parcel Nerellos that have become reference-point wines for the Etna.” – Wine Advocate

“Terre Nere’s wines all possessed unbelievable freshness and complexity as well as huge perfumes that suggested Pinot Noir…These wines are astonishingly complex and ethereal efforts from the hillsides of Mt. Etna in Sicily.” – Robert Parker

The Terre Nere estate has roughly 43 hectares of vineyards, along with 150 olive trees. Roughly 4.5 of these have been uprooted and will be replanted within two years after letting the soil “rest”. Two vineyards, for a total of roughly 11-12 hectares, make up the Calderara Cru, of which 1.5 hectares are pre-phylloxera; the rest are about 40-50 years old (and they have not been uprooted). Two different vineyards comprise the Guardiola Cru, for a total of 2.1 hectares, almost all of which is pre-phylloxera (except for some replanted vines). The Guardiola vineyards are the highest-altitude red-grape vineyards in Europe! The “Feudo di Mezzo” Cru is made up of two other vineyards, for a total of 1.35 hectares.

500,000 years of volcanic eruptions have created endless soil variation in neighboring plots of land, many of them radical. The soil at Terre Nere is mostly volcanic ash speckled by black pumice and peppered with abundant volcanic rock; to call it ‘rocky’ is putting it mildly! The weather variations in the area are profound and generally characterized by exposure, altitude, and ‘airiness,’ defined here as the character of a well-exposed vineyard not protected by hills, and therefore open to the cooling and drying effects of the wind. This is particularly important at Terre Nere because the harvest usually takes place in the last weeks of October, meaning that the grapes are in their most fragile state when the weather ‘breaks’ its autumn pattern, making them susceptible to oidium and mildew. The ‘airiness’ of the climate, however, helps to dry out the grapes after rain and moisture threaten mold.

Above all else, the extraordinary elevation yields dramatic temperature variations between night and day, making the wines of Etna fine and elegant, devoid of the heat and overripe flavors that usually define southern wines. In fact, most people who have tasted these wines, particularly the 2004s, say they find them most akin to Burgundies or Barolos.

Production is simple, classic, and Burgundian in style: the grapes are grown organically, using only bordelaise mixture and organic fertilization – mostly dung.

region

varietal

style

farming/cellar

pairing