Etna Rosso, Calderara Sottana, 2020
Like San Lorenzo, Calderara Sottana is one the great Grand Crus of Etna and benefits from what the estate describes as “true Elliptical terroir.” Hard, black basalt stones dot the vineyard at an altitude of 600-700m. The 2020 is seriously lifted and perfumed with enormous substance underlying. More compact tannins, aromatic with cut flowers and herbs, pink and white pepper, red fruits and spice, pale, intense and very long, Calderara is high in acidity, yet cannot be described as a wine of power or bold flavours, instead it is just really long and linear and beautifully balanced. Vine age ranges from 50-100 years old and the wine was aged in barrique and tonneaux for 14 months
critic reviews
The 2020 Etna Rosso Calderara Sottana is youthfully coy in the glass, hinting at sweet violets, blackberries and crushed stone. It's a model of purity within, silky and enveloping, with elegant red and black fruits that swirl over a core of saline minerals and exotic spice. The 2020 finishes long and staining, with fine-grained tannins that pinch at the palate. Red plum and cinnamon hints echo throughout. The 2020 is a very Burgundian vintage of Calderara Sottana.
The Tenuta delle Terre Nere 2020 Etna Rosso Calderara Sottana has a savory, almost autumnal personality with tobacco, wet moss, spice and dark fruit. It stands apart from the other wines in the portfolio thanks to those darker fruit qualities. Marc De Grazia uses the unusual word "feline" to describe a mouthfeel that is long and sleek. I notice the dry, silky nature of the elegant tannins.