Tenuta Terre Nere Etna Rosso 2022

Tenuta delle Terre Nere was founded by Marco de Grazia on the northern slopes of Mount Etna and has become one of the estates most closely associated with the modern revival of the region. The vineyards lie between roughly 600 and 1,000 meters in Randazzo and Castiglione di Sicilia, on a patchwork of volcanic soils that can change dramatically from one contrada to another. The estate farms organically and works almost entirely with traditional Etna varieties, especially nerello mascalese, with many vines trained in the historic alberello style.

The 2022 Etna Rosso is 98% nerello mascalese and 2% nerello cappuccio, drawn from younger and older vines across the estate’s northern Etna vineyards. Fermentation is temperature controlled, followed by spontaneous malolactic fermentation. The wine then spends about 14 to 16 months in large 10 to 30 hectoliter French oak casks, followed by a short period in stainless steel before bottling. The large neutral casks soften the tannins and build texture without adding obvious oak flavor.

The 2022 is elegant and lifted, with red cherry, wild strawberry and pomegranate alongside dried flowers, herbs and gentle spice. The palate is fine boned and fresh, with lively acidity, firm but polished tannins and a distinctly mineral, volcanic edge. It finishes savory and persistent, with the combination of fragrance, structure and lightness that makes nerello mascalese so distinctive.