TN: 2008 Tenuta delle Terre Nere Etna Prephylloxera La Vigna di Don Peppino

WINE TALK
1
  • 2008 Tenuta delle Terre Nere Etna Prephylloxera La Vigna di Don Peppino - Italy, Sicily, Etna DOC (1/16/2011)
    A fascinating wine. Delicate like Nebbiolo, but with softer tannin and less of the tar and licorice profile. Took some time to open up, I wish I had some more time with it. Soft violet notes, dark red cherry fruit, a bit of spice and earth. This wine is young and really needs some cellaring time. (92 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

2

Brent,

“Terre nere” in Italian means “black earth” or “black soil”, and refers to the soils around Mount Etna, the black volcanic soils that are so amenable to growing grapes. Did you know that there are many pyramids surrounding Mount Etna, made from the basalt rock of the lava flows, many thousands of years ago? Yes, way back in the day, the first Sicilians appreciated fiery Mount Etna from some sort of religious/ceremonial point of view. Check this link:

Pyramids in Sicilia" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

FWIW, there are similar pyramids on Mauritius in the Indian Ocean and Tenerife in the Canary Islands. dc.

3

Dave,

I was reading up a bit on the Michael Skurnik website. Thanks for the additional information!

4

Mt Etna was erupting this past week. I wonder if it’s flow covered any these vineyards?

5

I really like what I’ve tried of this producer, but I’ve not yet tried the Don Peppino. I’ve had the Calderara Sottana and Il Quadro delle Rose, both 2007. They’re delicious now, but can both use some time, expecially the Il Quadro delle Rose. As you alluded to, Nerello Mascalese can be somewhat Nebbiolo-like. I’ll look forward to seeing what these are like with a bit more age on them.

6

I actually like the basic Terre Nere more than the more expensive bottlings (I haven’t had the PrePhylloxera bottlings) which come across as a little glossy to me. But clearly well made wines, I just prefer things like the Biondi Etna Rosso if paying more than $20.