“Calderara Sottana” Rosso Etna DOC 2024

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

19172324 · 0,75 l · 74,67 €/l · Price (DE) incl. VAT, excl. Shippingavailable immediately

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 volcano’s geological mysteries is revealed: a terroir so rich in stones that, in the most characteristic areas, the soil disappears beneath them – fist-sized, light chunks of black pumice and basalt. The name Calderara evokes the warmth that the black stones absorb during the day and release back into 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 resulting from the activity of the Ellittico crater between 60,000 and 15,000 years ago. Of all the crus within the Etna DOC, these are undoubtedly the stoniest soils, even stonier than the aristocratic San Lorenzo to the west. Here, ancient vines aged between 50 and 100 years take root in this mineral labyrinth of volcanic rock, where every plant fights for every centimetre of fertile soil.

Calderara Sottana unfolds a dreamy, perfumed bouquet of rose, violet, smoke and tart citrus. In its youth, it displays wild energy and liveliness, with crisp red berry fruit and crunchy mineral notes that create an astonishing tactile sensation, whilst sweet spicy notes echo through the palate. Don pep, the elderly winegrower who tended Calderara’s vines for 70 years, aptly described these wines as ‘cremosi’.

And he was right: of all the crus, Calderara is perhaps the most complete: just as a wide-angle lens captures the broadest panorama, so Calderara seems to encompass and reveal the widest spectrum of flavours, aromas and nuances. Sixteen to eighteen months in French barriques and tonneaux lend this exceptional terroir the refinement that makes Calderara Sottana a masterpiece of volcanic winemaking – distinctly autumnal, spicy, aromatic and austere all at once, a wine of incredible lightness with wonderful fullness on the palate. SUPERIORE.DE