2024 Tenuta delle Terre Nere Etna Rosso

Terre Nere is widely considered the benchmark producer for Etna Rosso, founded in 2002 by Marc de Grazia and instrumental in putting Sicily's volcanic terroir on the fine wine map. The estate farms nearly 50 hectares across Mount Etna's north-facing slope, organically, on soils of volcanic ash, black pumice, and abundant volcanic rock, with vineyards spanning significant altitude and age variation, including some pre-phylloxera parcels. The Rosso is the estate's entry-level, broadest-production bottling, made from roughly 98% Nerello Mascalese and 2% Nerello Cappuccio sourced from the estate's youngest vines across its various holdings, offering an accessible introduction to the Terre Nere style before stepping up to the single-vineyard Contrada bottlings (Guardiola, Calderara, Santo Spirito, Feudo di Mezzo). It's aged around 14 months in French oak casks, which round out the wine's structure without overwhelming its natural transparency. The house style is often described as offering the ethereal transparency of Pinot Noir combined with the volcanic grip of Nerello Mascalese, and that comparison is the wine's calling card. Expect a lean, garnet-toned appearance, fragrant aromatics of red cherry, pressed violet, and wild herbs, and a mineral, volcanic undercurrent running beneath bright red fruit. The palate is medium-bodied and energetic, with fine, sandy tannins, lively acidity, and real length, closer in weight and personality to a cool-climate Burgundy than to a typical Sicilian red.