Etna Bianco DOC Tenuta delle Terre Nere Calderara Sottana 2023

First produced in 2007, the cuvée was inspired by a tasting that left a lasting impression on Marco de Grazia: a 42-year-old bottle of Carricante from the slopes of Mount Etna that revealed the grape variety’s extraordinary capacity to age. Determined to recapture that emotion, the winemaker turned to traditional methods and chose to highlight Carricante, now something of a rarity on the volcano’s slopes, accounting for barely 4% of plantings. The Carricante vines used for this wine are rooted in the volcanic soils of Etna’s northern slope, at over 600 metres above sea level, on a 1.5-hectare parcel. Aged between 15 and 60 years, the vines are harvested by hand. The juices then ferment before being aged in large oak foudres (large tuns), shaping a wine of layered complexity and notable longevity. On first impression, the nose is fairly discreet, gradually unfolding with aeration to reveal notes of almond, peach, cinnamon and cardamom, underpinned by a gently toasted backbone. The generous, soft and full palate retains freshness, finishing on refined, lightly bitter tones.