Aromas of dried black cherry, sweet spice, dusty violet, sage, clove, and volcanic ash lead the nose. The palate is velvety and intensely layered, with fine tannins, bright acidity, and a long, earthy finish.

Tenuta delle Terre Nere is owned by Marc de Grazia, who established the estate on Mount Etna and began bottling the ungrafted pre-phylloxera vines of Calderara Sottana as a separate cuvée with the 2006 vintage. It remains one of the most closely followed bottlings on the mountain.

Don Peppino comes from two surviving pre-phylloxera parcels totaling 0.8 hectares at 600 meters on a north-facing slope, with shallow, rocky volcanic soil laced with ash. The vines are over 130 years old and yields are held to four or five tons per hectare under organic certification. Fermentation runs at 28 to 30 degrees with spontaneous malolactic, followed by sixteen to eighteen months in French barriques and tonneaux plus a month in steel. Roughly 245 cases are made.

Pairs well with grilled lamb, braised beef, wild mushroom dishes, game, roast pork, and aged pecorino.

Serve at cellar temperature. Decant for at least an hour. Drink now with air or cellar long term.