2024 Terre Nere - Etna Bianco DOC Calderara Sottana Vigne Niche (750ml)

Tenuta delle Terre Nere was founded in the 1980s and rebuilt into one of Etna's benchmark estates by Marc de Grazia, an Italian wine importer turned vigneron who fell in love with the volcano's old vineyards and began restoring them parcel by parcel. De Grazia farms organically and takes a loosely Burgundian approach in the cellar, aiming for elegant, graceful wines that show the savory, mineral, and earthy qualities of Etna terroir. The estate has become known for isolating individual contradas, or subzones, and bottling them separately to express each site's character.

The Calderara Sottana bottling comes from 100% Carricante grown in the contrada of Calderara Sottana in the township of Randazzo, at 600 to 650 meters above sea level, on extremely rocky volcanic soils flecked with black pumice. The vines sit on the north side of Etna in shallow, sandy, stone-heavy ground, an unusual spot to find such expressive Carricante in a zone mostly given over to reds. Vinification and aging take place in large oak barrels for roughly nine months, and the wine is bottled unfined and unfiltered.

The nose offers citrus peel, white orchard fruit, hazelnut, and delicate floral notes, while the palate turns saline and mineral-driven, framed by bright acidity and a long, savory finish. It pairs beautifully with grilled fish, shellfish, or roasted white meats.