2024 Terre Nere Etna Bianco 'Vigne Niche' Santo Spirito 750ml Bottle

A tightly meshed white with structured acidity creating a mouthwatering frame for notes of yellow apple, pear, grapefruit pith, blanched almond, rosemary and spring blossoms. Long and salty, with mineral drive on the racy finish.  Wine Spectator, 93 Points.

Santo Spirito sits at 700-800m ASL and is a loosely packed, fine ash vineyard with deep soils. Given the north is dedicated mostly to reds, it is rare for old vine Carricante, but Marco has sections here that are 40 years old. These are coupled with plantings from 2007. Santo Spirito Etna Bianco, as with the Rosso made from this vineyard, produces exuberant and aromatically lifted fruit. The winemaking differs from Montalto in that after gentle pressing, fermentation occurs in oak barrels of 5 and 10hl under temperature control. Due to the highly acidic nature of the musts from the northern side, malolactic is allowed to follow. Aging occurs for 9 months in French oak barrique, with no new barrels. Fruits are much more exotic, with orchard fruits, ripe citrus, stone fruits, honeysuckle and vanilla. The wine is very textural, almost velvety, with loads of complexity, and more savoury mineral notes, albeit on the more elegant and lifted side of that spectrum. Distributor notes.