Tenuta delle Terre Nere
Feudo di Mezzo · Etna Rosso · 2024
Selected for you by Caroline Williams, Curated Cellar

The story
In the 1980s, Marco de Grazia was one of the importers behind Piedmont's "Barolo Boys," the young producers who changed Italian wine. Around 2000 he turned to Mount Etna, buying vineyards on the volcano's northern slope when few wine lovers outside Sicily knew its name. He released his first vintage in 2002 and, on its back label, called Etna "the Burgundy of the Mediterranean." Since then he has worked to have Etna's individual vineyard sites, its “contrade”, recognized the way Burgundy's crus are. That idea has reshaped how the world sees the region.

The vineyard
Feudo di Mezzo is a single contrada in Castiglione di Sicilia, on Etna's north side. It covers just 1.2 hectares at 600 meters, planted with Nerello Mascalese vines 60 to 80 years old in deep, ash-rich volcanic soil. It makes only about 5,000 bottles a year.

In the glass
This medium-bodied red evokes ripe red berries and plums, encirlcled in caramel and smoke and wrapped in velvety tannins.

Enjoying it
Open now with 30 minutes of air, or cellar it for several years. Serve slightly cool, around 60–62°F, with mushroom risotto, roasted or grilled meats, or Sicily's own pasta alla Norma.

A note from Caroline
I admire and enjoy Etna wines because they offer a rare combination of extreme terroir, striking elegance and volcanic complexity. These wines are a fine combination of intellectual and quaffable.

Questions about this wine, or looking for something special?
caroline@cwsomm.com