Tasting Notes
Unlike our Etna Bianco DOC, which is made up of an assembly of 5 white grapes, the Santo Spirito Bianco is only Carricante. The vineyard is located on the northside of Etna in deep volcanic ash which is very loose and dark at an altitude of 700-800m. The wine is fermented and aged in 10-hectolitre barrels. It’s a wine whose rare complexity and structure bloom wonderfully over time. Of great longevity, they will reward your patience with a beauty of unusual nobility. Unlike Calderara Sottana, this wine has a more open and exuberant nose – thanks to the generosity of the huge amount of volcanic ash characteristic of the Contrada. If the Calderara Sottana is a tenor, the Santo Spirito is more a soprano: the freshness is more accentuated, as is the spring vivacity, floral and rich expression of its very fine nature. - Producer Note
Tenuta delle Terre Nere is the highly respected estate founded by Marco de Grazia in the early 2000s on the northern slopes of Mount Etna, Sicily—an “island within an island” marked by dramatic elevation and volcanic soils. Covering around 45–55 hectares across multiple contrade (cru sites), the vineyards sit between 600 and 1,000 meters above sea level and include pre-phylloxera vines—some over 140 years old—that infuse the wines with rare depth and nuance.
The estate specializes in Nerello Mascalese-dominant red wines—often blended with Nerello Cappuccio—as well as Carricante-based whites, all crafted to reflect the character of their individual sites. Farming is organic and site-focused, and winemaking is restrained and terroir-driven: carefully co-fermented micro-parcels, native fermentations, and judicious use of neutral oak and amphora uphold freshness and elegance without overwork.
Marco’s vision has always been guided by Burgundian principles of climats: expressing subtle variations across terroirs with grace and precision. The result is a portfolio of wines—from entry-level Etna Rosso to single-vineyard, old-vine bottlings—marked by fragrant lift, mineral tension, structural finesse, and a captivating balance of vibrancy and depth.
| Product Type | Wine White Other Varietals & Blends |
| Volume | 750ml |
| Country | Italy |
| Region | Sicily |
| Sub Region | Etna |
| Winemaking Practices | Minimal Intervention |
| Vineyard Practices | Organic/Biodynamic |