Tenuta delle Terre Nere Etna Rosso DOC 2021
Tenuta delle Terre Nere
Marc de Grazia's estate wines from Etna's northern slopes have done more than almost anyone to redefine Sicilian wine's identity. This base Etna Rosso—from vines at 600–900 meters on volcanic soil—delivers a clarity of fruit and terroir that many wines at three times the price can't match. Nerello Mascalese proves once again it belongs in the conversation with Nebbiolo and Pinot Noir.
Nose
Bright red cherry and crushed wild berry mingle with delicate rose petal and a distinct volcanic mineral note. A gentle herbal quality and a hint of dried mint add complexity without weight.
Palate
Ethereal and lifted on entry, with cherry and berry fruit carried on fine-grained tannins. The volcanic terroir manifests as a stony, almost saline minerality that runs the length of the palate. There's a subtle smokiness and a whisper of green pepper that keeps it savory.
Finish
Long and persistent with lingering cherry, mineral tension, and dried floral notes.
- Varietal
- Nerello Mascalese
- Blend
- 98% Nerello Mascalese, 2% Nerello Cappuccio
- Vineyards
- Multiple contrade on Etna's northern slope, 600–900m elevation
- Alcohol
- 13.5%
- Organic / Biodynamic
- No
Food Pairing
The classic Sicilian dish of fried eggplant with tomato sauce and ricotta salata echoes the wine's savory-sweet tension, with the smoky eggplant complementing the volcanic mineral character.
Belgian-American wine merchant Marc de Grazia established Tenuta delle Terre Nere on Mount Etna's northern slopes in 2002, cultivating pre-phylloxera Nerello Mascalese vines in volcanic soils at elevations up to 1,000 meters.
Be the first to comment.
Leave a comment
Domaine de la Mordorée Tavel Rosé La Dame Rousse 2022
Domaine de la Mordorée
Tavel is the only French appellation dedicated exclusively to rosé, and Mordorée's La Dame Rousse shows why it deserves a seat at the serious wine table. This isn't a poolside sipper — it's a structured, gastronomic rosé with the weight and complexity of a light red. Pair it with grilled meats or Mediterranean fare and it will surprise anyone who underestimates pink wine.
Domaine de la Mordorée Lirac Rouge Cuvée de la Reine des Bois 2020
Domaine de la Mordorée
Mordorée's Lirac Rouge is a perennial overachiever — a wine from Châteauneuf-du-Pape's neighbor that delivers comparable complexity at a fraction of the price. The 2020 vintage is especially well-balanced, with ripe fruit and savory depth coexisting beautifully. This is Southern Rhône value at its finest.
Marcel Lapierre Regnié 2022
Domaine Marcel Lapierre
The Lapierre family pioneered natural winemaking in Beaujolais, and their Regnié bottling is a pure expression of that philosophy — no added sulfur, no commercial yeast, no new oak. It's a wine defined by what it refuses to include. The result is Gamay at its most transparent, a wine that tastes like the granite hillside it came from.
Château Pontet-Canet Grand Cru Classé Pauillac 2019
Château Pontet-Canet
Pontet-Canet is the biodynamic outlier of Pauillac — a classified growth that farms with horses and concrete eggs. The 2019 is arguably their finest recent vintage, marrying the power expected of Pauillac with an energy and lift that comes from healthy, biodynamically farmed soils. This is a wine that reveals the cask's confession slowly, as new French oak integrates into fruit of extraordinary purity.