Etna - a great place to grow wine

2007 Tenuta delle Terre Nere
Barolo Meets Burgundy Again

My wife’s cousin introduced me to Tenuta delle Terre Nere two years before its wines were imported here. It is an estate on Sicily’s active volcano Mount Etna with vineyards near the highest for red grapes in Europe. Even in Sicily, their climate is as cool and the growing season as long as in northern Europe. Even though its unbelievably dark and rocky soils are volcanic, they can vary greatly in even neighboring plots. This combined with some very old vines gives wines with a precise minerality.
The next vintage of the crus, the single plot wines, has finally arrived. Once again, the 2007 Terre Nere crus are simply phenomenal wines of great elegance. The four principal crus are Calderara Sottano, Guardiola, Feudi di Mezzo and Santo Spirito. We are getting a fairly good quantity of the Guardiola and the Calderara. We have less of the others since their productions are very limited. We will do what we can to fill orders and may have to substitute. We also have a very limited number of magnums of the Calderara and the Santo Spirito.
The grape for all is very old vine Nerello Mascalese, a varietal that has transformed the perception of Sicilian wine. These wines are aromatically complex, exhibit an almost ethereal character, and are both subtle and generous, rich and precise. Commentators have correctly said that these wines have a character that evokes both very fine Burgundy and very fine Barolo.
As usual, we have more of these wines than anyone else but still sell out fairly quickly. The owner, famed importer Marco di Grazia, told me that in thirty five years in the wine business, he has never seen demand for wine like the demand for Terre Nere.
In addition we have a small amount of the 2007 Tenuta delle Terre Nere Prephilloxera Cuvee, available only through pre-order. This is made from a very small patch of very old vines and the best thing I can do is show you what Marco said himself in an email to all of his distributors:
“Among many other wonderful results shines our newborn, the Etna Rosso Prephilloxera, cropping up from a small unified triangle of old native-rootstock vines. If you feel intimidated by its price - 2 times or so above the other crus- you can do me a big favor by not buying it. It serves as a revelation, a realization and, with only 3000 bottles, I have been loath to let any leave the farm.”
So, here we go.

2007 Tenuta delle Terre Nere Calderara Sottano: 48.99/bottle 44.09/mixed case 41.64/case Excellent

2007 Tenuta delle Terre Nere Guardiola: 48.99/bottle 44.09/mixed case 41.64/case Excellent

2007 Tenuta delle Terre Nere Feudi di Mezzo: 48.99/bottle Limited Excellent

2007 Tenuta delle Terre Nere Santo Spirito: 48.99/bottle Limited Excellent

Special Mixed Six Pack: Two bottles each of Calderara and Guardiola and one bottle each of Feudi di Mezzo and Santo Spirito for a special price of: $265

Special Mixed Case: Six bottles each of Calderara and Guardiola for a special price of: $499

Preorder Only

2007 Tenuta delle Terre Nere Prephilloxera: $ 87.00/bottle net Excellent to Superb Limit two bottles per person

2007 Tenuta delle Terre Nere Calderara Sottano Magnum: 98/bottle net

2007 Tenuta delle Terre Nere Santo Spirito Magnum: 98/bottle net