2024 Terre Nere - Etna Bianco DOC Santo Spirito Cuvee delle Vigne Niche (750ml)

Tenuta delle Terre Nere was rebuilt into one of Etna's most respected estates by Marc de Grazia, an Italian wine importer who became captivated by the volcano's old vineyards and spent decades restoring individual parcels across its slopes. He farms organically and takes a loosely Burgundian approach in the cellar, isolating single contradas, or subzones, to bottle each one on its own terms. The Vigne Niche project began after de Grazia tasted a remarkably vital 42-year-old Carricante and set out to recreate that same energy from his own vines.

The Santo Spirito bottling is sourced entirely from Carricante grown in the contrada of Santo Spirito in the township of Castiglione di Sicilia, at 700 to 800 meters above sea level on the north side of Etna. The soil here is deep and loose, composed largely of volcanic ash rather than the stonier ground found elsewhere on the mountain, giving the wine a softer, more open character than its Calderara Sottana counterpart. The wine ferments and ages in ten-hectolitre barrels for several months before bottling.

Expect an aromatic, floral wine with notes of green apple, apricot, chamomile, and broom blossom, carried by a silky texture and bright, well-integrated acidity. It suits white meats, shellfish, and grilled fish.