Tenuta delle Terre Nere Etna San Lorenzo 2016

U.S.-born Marco de Grazia established a successful Italian wine-importing company prior to purchasing vineyards on Sicily’s Mount Etna in 2000. The consistent quality of Terre Nere’s bottlings and de Grazia’s promotion of this emerging wine region have helped to push Etna to the forefront of Italian wine. This graceful red blends Etna’s signature Nerello Mascalese (98 percent) and Nerello Cappuccio grapes, sourced from 9.9 acres of vineyards within the San Lorenzo cru. The vines are more than 70 years old, planted at an elevation of nearly 2,500 feet in soils dominated by volcanic sand.

Tasting Note

Ripe black cherry and raspberry fruit meets tarry mineral and accents of licorice, spiced orange peel and herb in this chewy, medium-bodied red. The bold flavor and structure are deftly knit into a graceful and harmonious package, with the spice and mineral character lingering on the finish. Best from 2020 through 2030.—Alison Napjus