2009 Tenuta Delle Terre Nere Etna Rosso Santo Spirito
A Proprietary Blend Dry Red Table wine from Etna, Sicily, Italy,
Review by Antonio Galloni
WA # , #205 (Feb 2013)
Rating: 94
Drink 2015 – 2030
Cost: $31-$50

A seamless, impeccable wine, the 2009 Etna Rosso Santo Spirito wraps around the palate with stunning depth. Layers of fruit emerge over time, but what stands out most is the wine’s stunning textural elegance and pure finesse. Absolutely nothing is out of place. Licorice, tobacco, plums, red cherries and cinnamon all flow through to a huge, resonant finish supported by seemingly endless layers of saline-infused minerality. This is a drop-dead gorgeous wine from Terre Nere. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2030. The Etna boasts two reference point producers and a number of emerging growers. Along with Andrea Franchetti, proprietor Marco de Grazia continues to make compelling wines that set the standard for the Etna. De Grazia’s 2010s are a bit more ethereal than the 2009s, which have a little more mid-palate depth, but also a bit less finesse in my view. Both vintages have their strengths. I followed these wines over the greater part of a day and can report they perform best with 4-6 hours of aeration. A Marc de Grazia Selection, various American importers, including: de Grazia Imports; tel. (417) 732-4200; Skurnik Wines, Syosset, NY; (516) 677-9300, Estate Wines Ltd., San Rafael CA; (415) 492-9411, Robert Houde Wines, Elk Grove Village, IL; tel. (847) 430-3887.