Terre Nere Mt Etna 2017 & 2018

Tenuta Delle Terre Nere make genuine single vineyard wines with each Cru having a unique site varying not only in altitude but also in soil composits - some being rich in deep volcanic ash or conversely planted amongst fist sized pumice. All of the Crus are located on the northern slopes of the volcano, in the townships of Castiglione di Sicilia and Randazzo between 600 and 1000 metres above sea level in the “belt” that extends from the village of Solicchiata to the town of Randazzo, the area traditionally recognized as the very finest of the entire appellation for the local red grape varieties Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Cappuccio.

"A Barolo lover such as Marc de Grazia couldn’t fail to grasp the immense potential of Etna relative to the possibility of bottling many different cru wines. Thanks to volcanic eruptions that occurred over the centuries and created lava stratifications of different ages and compositions, Etna can give terroir-driven wines that are truly unique depending on exactly where the grapes are grown. De Grazia has incessantly promoted the differences and characteristics of each contrada (Etna’s cru areas) he farms. And though there are many who would much rather have preferred to turn Etna into one large catch-all denomination, De Grazia deserves immense praise for having fought this, realizing that Etna and its producers were sitting on a gold mine that just needed to be accessed correctly. His red wines now rank among Italy’s best"
— Ian D'Agata, December 2016, Vinous.com

"Etna remains an epicenter for soulful and terroir-driven reds and the 2016s currently on release are excellent; the vintage shows grace as well as power. These are wines that will age incredibly well yet already offer excellent drinking when young."
— James Suckling

Vintage 2017 promises wines of very high quality. From an analytical point of view, a slightly lower acidity is reported, while the alcohol content and extract are slightly higher than the average of the other years. The wines at the end of the alcoholic fermentation were very intense at the nose, with marked notes of ripe fruit, flowers and sweet spices. The red wines have sweet, rich and ripe tannins, balanced by a rather powerful structure that never overflows into opulence. Rather, they maintain the finesse and elegance which are the hallmark of Tenuta delle Terre Nere’s wines. It can certainly be said that 2017 is a year to be counted among the warm vintages on Etna. Despite this, thanks to the great quality of the estate’s vineyards and the extreme care reserved them, the 2017 wines have a very high average quality with peaks of excellence, specifically in the wines from the old vines of the highest altitudes.  2017 reds will rival those of the finest vintages made at Tenuta delle Terre Nere.

"Marc de Grazia's red wines rank among Italy’s best."
— Ian D'Agata, Vinous.com

"Terre Nere's wines "all possess unbelievable freshness and complexity as well as huge perfumes that suggest Pinot Noir…These wines are astonishingly complex and ethereal efforts from the hillsides of Mt. Etna in Sicily.”
— RobertParker.com