Tenuta delle Terre Nere’s Calderara Sottana is an Etna Rosso DOC from Contrada Calderara in the township of Randazzo, on the northern slope of Mount Etna. The estate’s official fact sheet describes this as the stoniest contrada on the north slope — black pumice and solid volcanic rock at 600–650 metres — planted to 100% Nerello Mascalese on vines averaging 50 to 100 years old. That old-vine, stony site is why this bottle is worth buying: a structured, complex Etna red from one of the mountain’s most distinctive contrade, now in the 2024 vintage.
According to the estate, the grapes are harvested in the first or second decade of October, fermented at 28–30°C, then go through spontaneous malolactic fermentation and age in French oak barriques and tonneaux, with bottling after 14 months in wood and one month in steel. Annual production is about 9,000 bottles. Alcohol is listed at 14.5%.
The estate describes a pale ruby colour with mahogany hues, a penetrating bouquet of rich ripe fruit and spice, and a structured, full, complex palate with a rich tannic feel. Serve at 18–20°C with meat or seasoned cheese.