Etna Rosso DOC Prephylloxera Don Peppino 2019 Terre Nere

A bit reductive at first, this opens up beautifully in the glass, with the tarry underpinning and the pretty tea rose and tobacco aromatics wafting through flavors of baked black cherry, licorice string and mandarin orange peel. Shows a gutsy core of tannins but it's wrapped in a silky texture and juicy fruit, emerging to firm the finish. Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Cappuccio. Best after 2023. 225 cases made.

From the first tilt of the glass, you know that you’re in for a treat. The 2019 Etna Rosso Calderara Sottana Prephylloxera La Vigna di Don Peppino blossoms with a deep yet delicate display that transports you to a place somewhere between Gevrey and Mount Etna. A burst of fresh roses, cloves and allspice evolve further into notes of wild strawberry, wet pumice stone and hints of candle wax. Frankly, this bouquet alone is worth the price of entry. It glides along the palate, like pure silk slowly being draped across the senses, as a mix of tart wild berries and savory herbs gives way to purple-tinged inner florals and sweet spice. The word "ethereal" comes to mind. This leaves echoes of licorice to mix with currants and autumnal seasonings over a coating of rounded tannins that gently pinch at the cheek. The 2019 is the most glorious interpretation of the Vigna di Don Peppino that I’ve had the pleasure of tasting. It’s sourced from 140+ year-old prephylloxera vines planted in black stone soils from within the Calderara Sottana cru. Simply breathtaking.