“Calderara Sottana” Rosso Etna DOC 2023

Tenuta delle Terre Nere | Sicily
Az. Agr. Tenuta delle Terre Nere | Contrada Calderara | IT 95036 Randazzo

19172323 · 0,75 l · 77,33 €/l · Price (DE) incl. VAT, excl. Shipping< 24 units available

In the heart of the northern Etna amphitheatre, where time seems to be carved in stone, lies Calderara Sottana, the realm of black stones. Here, at an altitude of 600 to 650 metres in the municipality of Randazzo, one of the geological mysteries of the volcano is revealed: a terroir so rich in stones that in the exemplary zones the ground disappears beneath the stones - fist-sized, light chunks of black pumice and basalt. The name Calderara refers to the heat that the black stones collect during the day and return to the earth during the cold nights. Marc de Grazia recognised Calderara Sottana as one of the three sacred contrade of the pure elliptical heritage – that precious geological legacy from the activity of the Ellittico crater 60,000 to 15,000 years ago. Of all the DOC Etna crus, these are certainly the stoniest soils, even stonier than the aristocratic San Lorenzo in the west. Here, ancient vines 50 to 100 years old take root in this mineral labyrinth of volcanic rock, where every plant fights for every centimetre of fertile soil.

Calderara Sottana 2023 unfurls a dreamy, perfumed bouquet of rose, violet, smoke and sour citrus. In its youthful state, it shows wild energy and effervescence with crisp red berry fruit and crunchy mineral tones creating an amazing tactile sensation, while sweet spice tones echo through. Don pep, the old winemaker who tended the Calderara vines for 70 years, aptly described these wines as "cremosi". And he was right: of all the crus, Calderara is perhaps the most complete: like a wide-angle lens captures the widest panorama, Calderara seems to contain and display the broadest spectrum of flavours, aromas and nuances. Sixteen to eighteen months in French barriques and tonneaux lend this extraordinary terroir the refinement that makes Calderara Sottana a masterpiece of volcanic winemaking - strikingly autumnal, spicy, aromatic and ascetic at the same time, a wine of incredible lightness with a wonderful fullness on the palate. SUPERIORE.DE

"An open style with ripe red cherry jelly and smoky complexity, crisp acidity and firm, grainy tannins. Medium to full-bodied with an austere finish. It deserves time to soften and integrate better." James Suckling

"The 2023 Etna Rosso Calderara Sottana is gorgeous, with a perfumed bouquet of roses, violets, smoke and sour citrus. It is very energetic and tangy, with crisp red berry fruit and crunchy mineral tones that create an amazing tactile sensation, while sweet spice tones resonate. As you would expect in its youthful state, the 2023 finishes hard. A saturation of crushed wild blueberries and lavender slowly fades away." Vinous