2021 Terre Nere La Vigna di Don Peppino Prephylloxera

The 2021 Etna Rosso Prephylloxera La Vigna di Don Peppino Calderara Sottana is something to behold. The color alone baffles the mind: a translucent ruby that misleads the taster to expect a delicate and lifted effort. This opens slowly in the glass, smoky and intense, evolving with ash and rosemary suggestions. A core of crushed wild berries and exotic spice comes to the fore. It’s deeply textural yet deceptively energetic, with silken waves of dark red fruit that wash across the palate, leaving a salty staining of minerals and savory herbs in their wake. A complex web of fine-grained tannins clamps down hard, balanced by a twang residual acidity, as inner florals and hints of tangerine slowly dissipate. Patience will be required.