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Etna Rosso 'Ciauria', Pietro Caciorgna, Sicily, Italy 2025
Etna Rosso 'Ciauria', Pietro Caciorgna, Sicily, Italy 2025
A beautifully aromatic Nerello Mascalese sourced from pre-phylloxera vines on the slopes of Mount Etna, fermented with wild yeasts and aged for 6 months in French oak barrels. The combination of the altitude (2,000 feet above sea level) and the rich, mineral soil, give the wine extraordinary aromatic lift, almost exotic, suggesting chopped red cherries, peach fuzz and whetstone, while the palate is as buoyant and fresh, as the somewhat pale colour suggests it will be, but there's real fascination and depth in there too, as you might find in a ripe Nebbiolo or a richly-scented Pinot Noir. 13.5% alc. Drink now-2032. Biodynamic farming.
Customer comments (including previous vintage):
“All the hype about this wine is more than deserved..... absolutely stunning!” - Mr. R. H.
“As always, thank you for spotting the wine - another absolute banger, which blew away the conventional Burgundy we had at the same meal.” - Mr. R.E.
”That Etna Rosso is absolutely amazing. Thanks so much for the recommendation” - Mr. A.D.
“Loving it (too much!). Would be happy to take two more cases if you have them.” - Mr. I. W.
”I much enjoyed your Etna Rosso last night – it was lighter than I expected but very smooth and delicious." - Mr. A.M.
"Like drinking liquid silk, really light and cherry-scented but with that dark, basalt thing going on too. Ethereal and magnificent. Love it." - Mr. J.W.
"I did just cracked open a bottle of Ciauria and it is excellent!" - Mr T.J.
"I thought the Ciauria was really lovely! Great find." - Mr. J.L.
"It's incredible! I've never had anything like it." - Mr. G.D.
"Tried the Etna Rosso last night and it was delicious!" - Mr. J.F.
"You can tell from the repeat order that the Ciauria has gone down very well. Looking forward to receiving the order, looking forward to drinking it more." - Mr. G.S.
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What a delightful expression of Spanish Garnacha! It pours a pale ruby colour, like a vermilion watercolour wash, but it’s not wishy-washy. It’s so perfumed and delicate, like a cross between a young Beaujolais and a Tenerife red, yet with plenty of fruit intensity to give it depth too. Cherry dominates the aromas and the flavours, but there are also hints of orange, pink peppercorn, flint and cool graphite (I’m thinking pencil lead). If you like perky and perfumed grape varieties like Pinot Noir, Gamay, Nerello Mascalese, Païs or Trousseau, then do give this a try, especially with a plate of charcuterie. Can be drunk slightly chilled. 13.5% alc. 7 months in oak. Drink now-2028.
Press review:
Decanter (previous vintage): “This bright, juicy Garnacha Tinta (with 5% Garnacha Blanca) is lovely to serve slightly chilled alongside platters of charcuterie at a picnic. Named after El Garbi, the warm African wind that blows through the vineyard in cool Terra Alta, it's packed with vibrant cherry fruit, dusted with spice. Fresh acidity balances the soft tannins for a crisp finish. Drink now-2027.” 91 points
Featured in Decanter’s ‘Top Red Wines to Chill’ (June 2024).
Customer comments:
“I could drink gallons of this! Beautiful!” - Mr W.B.
"I just tried the Garbi. It is superb. Another gem you and Lucia have unearthed!" - Mr A.D-W.
“Tenuta delle Terre Nere continues to raise the bar with their Etna Rosso.” - Vinous
A delicious and characterful Nerello Mascalese from the northern slopes of Mount Etna, which articulates its origins as eloquently as a Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon or a Northern Rhone Syrah articulate theirs. The aromas are classic Etna Rosso, a heady cocktail of shiny red fruits, peach fuzz, raspberry and pumice stone. That volcanic minerality brings a slight tannic austerity to the fruit and a suggestion of smooth grey pebbles, but it’s not drying, because the fruit is ample, so you sense the pit as well as the cherry, the stone as well as the plum. 14% alc. Organic (certified). Drink now-2032.
Press review:
The Wine Advocate: “The Tenuta delle Terre Nere 2024 Etna Rosso includes a touch of Nerello Cappuccio, which is interplanted among the old Nerello Mascalese vines. Marco de Grazia describes 2024 as a baroque vintage: it has everything, but perhaps a little too much. High alcohol, abundant sugar and ripe tannins required careful maceration and extraction to keep the wine from going over the top. The estate faced similarly hot conditions in 2004, its first vintage, and again in the more tannic, “monster” 2014 vintage. Those experiences helped the team manage phenolic ripeness more precisely in 2024, producing tannins that feel silky and smooth. This is a fine vintage for those who worked carefully. The wine is full of fruit, and its lush, ripe quality is beautiful. Approximately 90% comes from the north slope, including four hectares in San Lorenzo and younger vines in Calderara Sottana and Santo Spirito, while 10% from the south side contributes additional lushness. The result is generous and baroque but remains polished and controlled. Drink now-2033.” 94 points
Vinous: “The 2024 Etna Rosso is a spice bomb on the nose with a burst of cedar, incense, lavender, dried cherries and blood orange. It’s soothingly round, cool-toned and silky in texture with polished red fruits swirling throughout. This finishes gently tannic and long, carrying hints of violet pastille and ripe blackberry. Drink now-2034” 93 points