Tenuta delle Terre Nere Calderara Sottana Prephylloxera La Vigna di Don Peppino Etna Rosso DOC 2023

La Vigna di Don Peppino is a rare bottling from Tenuta delle Terre Nere, drawn from a small plot of ungrafted pre-phylloxera vines in the Calderara Sottana contrada on the northern side of Mount Etna in Sicily. These vines, more than 140 years old, survived the phylloxera that destroyed most of Europe's vineyards from 1881, rooted in volcanic soil that the insect could not penetrate. The old vines yield tiny crops of deeply concentrated fruit, while Etna's lava, ash and mineral sands drain sharply and lend smoke and salinity, and high-altitude diurnal swings preserve acidity through a long, cool ripening. Made from Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Cappuccio, the wine ages around eighteen months in barrel plus a short spell in stainless steel, the wood softening firm tannins through slow oxygen exchange. The colour is medium ruby. The nose shows red cherry, wild berries, dried herbs, leather and woodsmoke over crushed stone. The palate is concentrated yet linear, with fine tannins, bright acidity and a long saline finish. Serve at 16 to 17 degrees, decanted. It suits game, mushrooms and roast red meat.