Tenuta delle Terre Nere

An Icon of Mt. Etna

” ‘The Etna is the Burgundy of the Mediterranean,’

says the man whose career as an importer of fine Italian wines is legendary…”

“I love the way Marc De Grazia refers to the Sicilian volcano with a definite article in front of its name. To him, it is “the Etna,” and he expresses his deference to the dangerous mountain with every mention.”

 

–Monica Larner of The Wine Advocate writing about Marc de Grazia of Tenuta delle Terre Nere

 

Mt. Etna is an active volcano (stratovolcano to be specific) on the eastern edge of the island of Sicily, in southern Italy. There’s a long history of viticulture on the slopes of Etna (like, way back with the ancient Greeks, long history), but it hasn’t been until much more recently that the region has commanded much respect for its wines. Lucky us.

 

  • Etna become Sicily’s first DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata) on August 11, 1968.
  • It took until the late 1980s for pioneering producers like Benanti to begin bottling real wines of distinction from Mt. Etna sites. Benanti introduced high-end, single-varietal wines, from native grapes like Nerello Mascalese and Carricante.
  • These varieties are often likened to the Pinot noir and Chardonnay of Burgundy, but with their own distinct character, and with the unique imprint of the vineyards of Mt. Etna.
  • A codified system of “Contrade” defines historic vineyard sub-districts or crus.
  • Tenuta delle Terre Nere, since its founding in 2002, has embraced both the Burgundian Cru model, chasing expression of terroir in vineyard designations, and a Burgundian winemaking aesthetic, favoring elegant and sumptuous wines over wines of power and impact.

Here and Vinopolis, we have championed the wines of Terre Nere for many years now, and are thrilled to share that we have an ample offering of the most recently released vintages. Please read on to learn more about each of our many different Terre Nere offerings

Currently Available Tenuta Delle Terre Nere Wines:

ROSSO 

Calderara Sottana  2021 $81.90

  • Nerello Mascalese 100%
  • North side, 600-700m. Randazzo. Stoniest soils, pumice & basalt
  • 96 POINTS – DECANTER “Another of Terre Nere’s ‘Grande Terroir Ellittico’ wines, Calderara Sottana is from stonier, rockier volcanic soil than even San Lorenzo to the west. Vinified and aged in the same way – as are all of Marco De Grazia’s contrada reds – it offers a deep, full aroma of pure red and black fruits with some violet, spice, balsam and cocoa overtones. Fleshy, succulent and sapid, this is an incredibly beautiful Nerello Mascalese, with purity of red fruits underlined by some spice and stoniness, a hint of salinity and a long, silky, creamy finish. So inviting. (JB)” 

Calderara Sottana 2024 – $76

  • Nerello Mascalese 100%
  • North side, 600-700m. Randazzo. Stoniest soils, pumice & basalt
  • 97 POINTS ROBERT PARKER “The Tenuta delle Terre Nere 2024 Etna Rosso Calderara Sottana shows a blue-fruit character that I do not find in the other wines. More autumnal in personality, it is born dark, with deep fruit, dusty spice and additional complexity. This wine is remarkably self-controlled, playing on depth and length rather than textural impact. Its spice is especially pronounced on the palate, and the precision of the vineyard’s identity resonates throughout time.”

Dagala of Bocca d’Orzo 2024 – $149

  • Nerelo Mascalese 100%
  • An “Island” within a lava flow – a real “Monopole”, just .5ha, Elliptic Soil (oldest in which to plant)
  • North side. Randazzo. Three barriques of superlative wine
  • 98 POINTS ROBERT PARKER “From a half-hectare monopole adjacent to San Lorenzo, the Tenuta delle Terre Nere 2024 Etna Rosso Dagala di Bocca d’Orzo is a 1,500-bottle release, compared to just 900 bottles in 2023. Marco de Grazia discovered the tiny vineyard and its little house while planting in San Lorenzo, purchasing the parcel in 2018 and producing the first vintage in 2019. The Sicilian word “dagala” describes an island of land surrounded by lava. This has a darker and more emphatically volcanic character, combining the unrelenting rigor of Calderara with the richness of San Lorenzo. Austere and tight, it recalls a dark lava-stone wall. The wine plays on depth, tension and volcanic power, holding firm without letting go.”

Feudo di Mezzo “Quadro delle Rose” 2024 – $59

  • Nerello Mascalese 100%
  • North side, 600m, Castiglione di Sicilia, specific parcels
  • 95 POINTS ROBERT PARKER “The Tenuta delle Terre Nere 2024 Etna Rosso Feudo di Mezzo Il Quadro Delle Rose comes from a distinctive old-vine parcel within Feudo di Mezzo, Etna’s largest contrada. The name refers to a traditional cadastral division of approximately 6,000 square meters. Once divided between two families, this became one of the largest contiguous holdings on Etna. The vineyard, dotted with peach, quince and prickly pear, is planted to vines now approximately 65 years old. Fruit from vines younger than 50 is excluded from this bottling. It is also among the estate’s first parcels harvested, generally around October 4 to 6. The 2024 has a darker cast to its fruit and a heavier center of gravity. “This pisses me off,” Marco de Grazia jokes. Immediately after being racked off the skins, the wine was almost complete. There is a frustrating effortlessness to it. Chalky tannins and ample fruit convey the exuberant character of the vintage, yet the wine remains composed. Il Quadro delle Rose also has a proven ability to age beautifully.”

Guardiola 2024 – $79

  • The first Tenuta delle Terre Nere wine
  • Nerello Mascalese 100%
  • North side, highest altitude 900-1000m, Castiglione di Sicilia, 1ha vineyard
  • 97+ POINTS ROBERT PARKER “The 2024 is gorgeous, initially showing richness, sensuality and softer, fuller tannins. The fruit folds over the structure, making the wine feel complete. However, when I returned to it at the end of the tasting, its relative leanness became clearer. It does not have the same richness or weight as the wines poured later in the portfolio. Guardiola remains the “leanest and meanest” of the group, shaped by its cool climate, high elevation and exposed terraces.”

Moganazzi 2024 – $66

  • Nerello Mascalese 100%
  • North side, 700-750m, Castiglione di Sicilia, 1.5ha vineyard
  • 95 POINTS ROBERT PARKER “The Tenuta delle Terre Nere 2024 Etna Rosso Moganazzi comes from a north-slope vineyard at approximately 750 meters in Castiglione di Sicilia, managed by the estate since 2009. This is a powerhouse, with a broader, bigger mouthfeel and greater fruit weight, yet it remains elegant and beautifully composed. Dark rose, wild plum and sensual dark fruit shape the bouquet, while the palate shows notable power and a more pronounced tannic side.”

Calderara Sottana Prephylloxera “La Vigna di Don Peppino” 2022 – $165

  • Nerello Mascalese 100%
  • North side, Randazzo. .8ha, 140 y.o. vines, ungrafted. Elliptic soil.
  • 96 POINTS ERIC GUIDO-VINOUS “Darkly alluring and youthfully backward, the 2022 Etna Rosso Prephylloxera La Vigna di Don Peppino Calderara Sottana smolders up with a blend of sweet spices, dusty violets and ash, giving way to dried black cherries, sage and cloves. This is velvety yet finessed, with a polished wave of ripe red and blue fruit that flows across a juicy stream of acidity. Hints of sour citrus add contrast toward the close. It finishes remarkably fresh and energetic, still tannic but lively, as crunchy tannins resonate and an air of lavender slowly fades. This is an elegant and genuinely harmonious edition of this cuvée. Simply stunning.”

Calderara Sottana Prephylloxera “La Vigna di Don Peppino 2023 – $159

  • Nerello Mascalese 100%
  • North side, Randazzo. .8ha, 140 y.o. vines, ungrafted. Elliptic soil.
  • 97 POINTS ERIC GUIDO-VINOUS “The 2023 Etna Rosso Prephylloxera La Vigna di Don Peppino Calderara Sottana opens like a flower shop on the nose, intensely layered with depths of black cherry and spice. This is more lifted and graceful than expected, with a sour citrus tinge, tart wild berry fruits and mineral tones. Edgy tannins pinch at the cheeks as the 2023 resonates with blue and purple inner florals and a bitter licorice concentration that lingers impossibly long.”

 Calderara Sottana Prephylloxera “La Vigna di Don Peppino  2024 – $189

  • Nerello Mascalese 100%
  • North side, Randazzo. .8ha, 140 y.o. vines, ungrafted. Elliptic soil.
  • 97+ POINTS ROBERT PARKER “The Tenuta delle Terre Nere 2024 Etna Rosso Calderara Sottana Prephylloxera le Vigne di Don Peppino comes from a triangular parcel enclosed within the larger rectangular Calderara Sottana vineyard, planted to pre-phylloxera vines approximately 150 years old. The wine does not hold back; in 2024, it reveals itself immediately. It evokes the opulence of Marie Antoinette’s boudoir, says vintner Marco de Grazia, with softness, richness, sweetness, an almost lavish sense of wealth and beauty. The tannins are subtle, but considerable power remains beneath them, creating a deep and lasting sensation in the mouth.”

San Lorenzo 2024 – $79

  • Nerello Mascalese 100%
  • North side, 700-850m, Randazzo, 50-100 y.o. vines, Elliptic soil. Coldest climate
  • 97 POINTS ROBERT PARKER “The Tenuta delle Terre Nere 2024 Etna Rosso San Lorenzo is part of the “Grande Terroir Ellittico” series. San Lorenzo, at approximately 750 meters in elevation, is harvested before the higher Guardiola vineyard. Although the two sites share Ellittico origins, they behave very differently: Guardiola reaches 850 to 900 meters and has poorer soils, while San Lorenzo’s deeper, more generous soils produce greater ripeness and opulence. The 2024 San Lorenzo is softer, fuller and more voluptuous, with a level of richness not found in the Guardiola from the same vintage. Guardiola remains more defined by texture and restraint, whereas San Lorenzo embraces ripe fruit and generosity.”

San Spirito 2024 – $66

  • Nerello Mascalese 100%
  • North side, 700-850m. Castiglione di Sicilia
  • 95 POINTS ROBERT PARKER “The Tenuta delle Terre Nere 2024 Etna Rosso Santo Spirito shows the richness and sensuality that Marco de Grazia associates with this site. “Dressed to kill,” he calls it—the Ava Gardner of the wines—with generous curves, softness and a perception of sweetness from the fruit. The wine is structured in the mouth, and its youthful, chalky tannins will need time to integrate.”

 

BIANCO

Etna Bianco DOC 2025 – $33

  • Carricante, Catarratto, Inzolia, Grecanico, Minnella.
  • North/East side, 600-900m
  • 93 POINTS ROBERT PARKER “The Tenuta delle Terre Nere 2025 Etna Bianco is not 100% Carricante but a traditional blend of approximately 70% to 80% Carricante with Catarratto, Minnella, Grecanico and Inzolia. It was born almost accidentally from the white varieties historically interplanted among old red vines on Etna’s north slope. Marco de Grazia originally separated those grapes so that his Etna Rosso could be pure Nerello Mascalese, but he liked the resulting white blend and continued the tradition.”

 Etna Bianco Superiore ‘Le Vigne Niche- ‘Caselle’  2024 – $51.90

  • Carricante 100%
  • South side, 900m, Milo, 90+ y.o. vines (Only Superiore designation for Etna Bianco)
  • 94 POINTS JAMES SUCKLING “Fresh and floral but with white pepper and a noticeably assertive smoky minerality. Light-bodied, this shines with silky texture and zesty yet integrated acidity. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold.”

Montalto 2024 $49

  • Carricante 100%, 6,000 bottles
  • South side, 900-950m, Montalto district, Biancavilla municipality (Catania)
  • Winemaker Note “Tenuta delle Terre Nere Etna Bianco Montalto is characterized by a voluptuous softness and spicy and “warm” aromas, underlined by a full alcoholic vigor and a balanced freshness resulting from the combination of full exposure at noon and a very high altitude.’

San Spirito 2024 – $49

  • Carricante 100%
  • North side, 700-800m, Castiglione di Sicilia
  • 94 POINTS – WINE ADVOCATE “Aromas of Meyer lemon, nectarine, honeysuckle and an exotic hint of guava. This is a terrific buy; in fact, all these wines offer outstanding value. Fermentation takes place at low temperatures in stainless steel, followed by nine months of maturation in steel.”

 

ROSATO

Etna Rosato DOC 2025 – $33

  • Nerello Mascalese 100%
  • North side, 600-800m, Castiglione di Sicilia and Randazzo
  • 93 POINTS ROBERT PARKER “The Tenuta delle Terre Nere 2025 Etna Rosato is, according to Marco de Grazia, the best rosé the estate has made in 10 years. First produced in 2008, the wine sees three to four hours of skin contact before being pressed directly into vats. Some lots undergo malolactic fermentation and others do not, allowing the team to balance creaminess and glossiness with brightness. The 2025 has remarkable intensity and a precise point of acidity that gives it depth. Herbal and floral notes add lovely complexity. De Grazia calls it a “wine of the Mediterranean,” and the versatility of Nerello Mascalese is remarkable.”