Tenuta delle Terre Nere

Dark, bright ruby red. Pure and elegant, with spicy herbal aromas and fresh fruity notes of cherry and currant. Subtle with a beautiful fruity play, delicate salt vein, yet compact and full of harmony. A Rosso with the almost Burgundian finesse and length of a Pinot Nero. SUPERIORE.DE

Etna Bianco by Terre Nere offers a surprising amount of depth and sophistication. The cuvée of Carricante, Catarratto, Grecanico, Inzolia and Minnella smells of grapefruit, quince, dried sage and wild mint. On the palate fine mineral notes, develops elegantly with notes of lemon quark. Excellent quality at a very attractive price. SUPERIORE.DE

"Luminous medium-dark straw yellow. Aromas and flavors of chamomile and balsamic oils along with hints of pear and minerals on the inviting nose. Enters a little subdued, but finishes very strong and long. This builds on you slowly; think of it more like a marathon runner rather than a 100 yards sprinter." Vinous

"A depth of dried apples, lemons and crushed sea salt follows through to a full body, layers of fruit and a flavorful finish. Shows length and depth." James Suckling

Subtle scent of red cherries, herbs and minerals, on the palate complex and long with grace and elegance. A fabulous rosé and worth every euro. SUPERIORE.DE

"Ultra pale onion-peel pink. Herbs, almond paste, fresh flowers and cherry skin on the fresh nose. Then bright and juicy in the mouth too, with a subtle gingery bite to the red fruit and herb flavors. Closes long and saline." Ian d'Agata

This Carricante of up to 100 year old vines from small single vineyard does not let anything come to its variety and terroir origin. Fine fruity scent, mineral and with a fresh sea breeze. Powerful, well structured, fine wood note, balanced and long in taste. SUPERIORE.DE

"A rich and creamy white in a sleek, medium-bodied frame, this offers layers of ripe Jonagold apple, fragrant spice and smoky mineral, with a touch of Key lime pie. Long and mouthwatering on the finish." Wine Spectator

This Carricante of up to 100 year old vines from small single vineyard does not let anything come to its variety and terroir origin. Fine fruity scent, mineral and with a fresh sea breeze. Powerful, well structured, fine wood note, balanced and long in taste. SUPERIORE.DE

"The finest Etna Bianco I have ever tasted; 100% Carricante, aged in oak with great depth of fruit; a powerful white that should drink well for another 5-7 years, but perhaps even longer." Tom Hyland, Forbes Magazine

"Brilliant straw yellow with green nuances. Cool nose, opened with notes of grapefruit and rosemary, some flint. Develops on the palate firm pressure, lots of yellow fruit, pronounced salty." Falstaff

"Compared to the Carricante from the Calderara Sottana cru, the 2017 Etna Bianco Santo Spirito (Cuvée delle Vigne Niche) is more mineral-driven in my opinion (by a small margin). Both wines were vinified and aged in the exact same way, so the very subtle differences you taste between the two are wholly territory-driven. The bouquet is crystalline and direct with briny sea aromas, summer peach and sun-dried lemon zest. Some 5,000 bottles were made." Robert Parker

"Aromas of hot stones, sliced apples and lemons follow through to a full body, oily texture and a rich and flavorful finish. From organically grown grapes." James Suckling

"Luminous golden-tinged straw yellow. Minerals and a hint of white flowers on the saline accented nose. Rich round and smooth, with very deep, complex flavors of honey and pomaceous orchard fruit. Finishes long and vibrant, this is absolutely a knockout." Vinous

Fantastic Etnakreszenz of up to 60 years old vines from small single vineyard with wonderfully balanced iodine and citrus aromas. Softly flowing on the palate, deep in the taste, the fine acidity and delicate wood note well integrated into the overall concept. SUPERIORE.DE

"Sparkling straw yellow. Fine nose with fresh notes of juicy peach, apricot, in the background some grapefruit and flint. Great play on the palate, many salty-mineral components, after Mirabelle, long and persistent, very fine." Falstaff

"The 2017 Etna Bianco Calderara Sottana is identified as Cuvée delle Vigne Niche on my technical sheet, although I do not see that single-vineyard designation identified on the bottle label. This is a beautiful white wine with lasting aromas of citrus, passion fruit and crushed mineral. This compact white wine hits the palate with sharp and linear focus. That tightness you get at this young stage should evolve and flesh out over the next 5 years of bottle aging. This wine is fermented in stainless steel at low temperatures and it completes malolactic fermentation before going into large oak casks for ten months. Some 9,000 bottles were made." Robert Parker

"Aromas of yogurt, cream and dried pineapple follow through to a full-bodied, round and layered palate with lots of fruit and flavor. Hints of bitter lemons and cooked apples. Slightly oily. From organically grown grapes." James Suckling

"Vibrant deep yellow. Deep, round and complex, this enters sweet then turns mineral and steely, with refined lemony, apple and chamomile flavors. Finishes long, very austere and stony, but manages the neat trick of tasting luscious and ripe at the same time. Deeper and more complex than the other 2017 whites I tasted from Terre Nere this year. This 100% Carricante, mostly from 60 years old vines, may well be the best white wine from owner Marc de Grazia’s Terre Nere estate I have ever tried at a similar stage of development." Vinous

Fantastic Etnakreszenz of up to 60 years old vines from small single vineyard with wonderfully balanced iodine and citrus aromas. Softly flowing on the palate, deep in the taste, the fine acidity and delicate wood note well integrated into the overall concept. SUPERIORE.DE

This Carricante of up to 100 year old vines from small single vineyard does not let anything come to its variety and terroir origin. Fine fruity scent, mineral and with a fresh sea breeze. Powerful, well structured, fine wood note, balanced and long in taste. SUPERIORE.DE

"The finest Etna Bianco I have ever tasted; 100% Carricante, aged in oak with great depth of fruit; a powerful white that should drink well for another 5-7 years, but perhaps even longer." Tom Hyland, Forbes Magazine

Text follows. SUPERIORE.DE

Una Tantum is a special cuvée that Marco de Grazia bottled with a strictly selected batch of his best Carricante grapes from the 2017 harvest. The name was chosen in order to emphasise the exceptional nature of the wine and at the same time to emphasise that it will probably remain a unique project wine.

Golden yellow colour, yellow flowers in the wide fragrance and some citrus. On the palate a soft acidity unfolds with a fine salt vein, accompanied by a spicy herbal note. In the final again salty with a mineral component, very long and impressively different. SUPERIORE.DE

"A rather deep, slightly herbaceous-planty, delicately smoky and clearly mineral scent with restrained yellow-fruity aromas, floral hints and a hint of bacon. Rather firmly worked, restrained, tart, fine juicy, noble fruit, yeasty, somewhat herbaceous planty, smoky and clearly mineral notes, very fine acidity, a hint of nut and butter in the background, still young, good depth, fine handle, best balance, very good, firm finish, again with restrained, noble yellow fruit, intensive minerality and smoky notes." Marcus Hofschuster

"Pale lemon. More evident almond nut and cinnamon oak tones, with some white-peach richness alongside lemon fruit. Chalky minerality. Ripe lemon, chalk, smoky minerality and some apple skin, with phenolic texture and a touch of salinity." Jancis Robinson

Santo Spirito is a wonderfully complex wine. It combines firmness, strength, structure and density with the aromas of dark cherries, pomegranate, blood oranges and spicy herbal notes and concludes with a furiously long final. SUPERIORE.DE

"Pale-medium ruby. Crushed rock, vanilla scent and something almost minty. Cranberry and red-cherry fruit. Sweet-sour palate fruit with a bitterness reminiscent of Campari. Compact, fairly firm, chalky tannins that need time to unwind. Long, dried herb and spice finish." Jancis Robinson

"A fragrant, medium- to full-bodied red that shows impeccable balance and integration, layering fine-grained tannins and fresh acidity with flavors of ripe strawberry, cured tobacco and star anise, balanced by a bright hint of pomegranate. The sculpted tannins show more presence on the long, minerally finish." Wine Spectator

"Sour cherries, ripe strawberries, heather, rosemary, cedar, sweet tobacco and red licorice all spring from the glass. The full-bodied palate remains racy throughout, painting a precisely framed, confident portrait of subtle berries with loads of acidity crunch." James Suckling