2020 Etna Bianco

No other winery has done as much for the popularity and success of Mount Etna as Terre Nere; nearly any producer in the region will offer up this same opinion. Almost two decades ago, importer Marc de Grazia set out to prove that the high-altitude vineyards, diverse volcanic soils and ancient vines found on this still-active volcano could produce world-class wines of longevity. As a result of his success, a rush of producers from Sicily and abroad have worked to carve out their own piece of Mount Etna over the last ten years. Through it all, Terre Nere remains at the head of the pack, and Marc de Grazia continues to expand his portfolio by adding choice pieces of terroir, while also pushing the limits of what his original crus are capable of. The 2018 vintage, a difficult year of drastic climatic shifts and excessive rain in October, is a perfect example of how vine age and upholding exacting standards in the vineyards and winery can turn out excellent results. Are the 2018s the best wines that Terre Nere has ever made? Not at all. But will they sit comfortably and mature evenly next to the best wines Terre Nere has made? Absolutely, just not over the long term. The uncontested standouts from the 2018s crus come from Calderara Sottana, which sits between 600-700 meters in elevation with 50-100-year-old vines shooting up from black stones, so much so that you can hardly see any soil beneath its rocky surface. The two bottlings from this site, the Calderara Sottana and the Prephylloxera La Vigna di Don Peppino (from a selection of 140+ year-old vines from within the cru), are, without a doubt, two of the wines of the vintage. As for a preview of the 2019s, the straight Etna Rosso speaks volumes about the potential of the Cru reds. On top of that, Carricante was extremely successful, but at yields that were reduced by 40-50% due to the onset of coulure. Despite that, Marc de Grazia decided to bottle not only his cru old-vine Biancos, but also just 3,000 bottles of the Cuvée della Vigne Niche Superiore: a gorgeous expression. However, for my tastes, it’s Calderara Sottana once again steals the show. In the end, this is a producer that never rests, never stops looking to improve, and is constantly innovating and thinking outside the box, hence the respect that Terre Nere has earned and holds to this very day.