Have you ever tried a wine made from ungrafted, prephylloxera vines that are over 140 years old? Enter the Terre Nere Etna Rosso Prephylloxera Don Peppino 2023 from Mount Etna in Sicily, Europe’s largest active volcano. This wine is in a league of its own.
The 2023 is ‘intensely layered, more lifted and graceful than expected’ and ‘impossibly long’, says Vinous. Terre Nere have pioneered fine wine production since 2002, and their 2023s are some of the ‘most exotic, finessed and elegant wines’ they’ve ever produced, notes Eric Guido, who was ‘left in awe’.
Year on year, Terre Nere’s introductory red, Etna Rosso, is one of our best-sellers and offers so much for its price point. From low-yielding vines, the 2023 shows wild, crunchy red fruit, lavender, clove and sage, with crushed rock minerality, lively acidity and fine, coating tannins that continuously entice the palate.
Both wines are based on Nerello Mascalese, ‘one of Italy’s great varieties’ (Nick Jackson MW), which is known for creating lightly coloured wines that are delicate yet hugely complex. Considered the Burgundy of the South, they’re brimming with bright red and purple fruit, florals and earthy, zesty notes along with fine, lingering tannins.
Whether you’re here for a bargain best-seller or a rare and brilliant red – either way, you win.
Tasting Notes:
Terre Nere Etna Rosso Prephylloxera Don Peppino 2023
‘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.’ – Eric Guido, Vinous, 97/100
‘The brightness, lovely density and focus come through clearly here with an almost pinot sensibility and a long finish. It’s polished with fine tannins and a brilliant texture. Mostly grapes from San Lorenzo and Calderara Sottana vineyards. Drink or hold.’ – James Suckling, 95/100
