92 points Vinous Media
Drinking window: 2026 - 2030
The 2025 Etna Bianco is sweetly floral with a mix of nectarines, peach sorbet, mint and lemon zest. It sweeps across the palate, lifted and juicy in style, with crisp white stone fruits and a contrasting citrus tinge. This finishes with a steely inflection and a perfumed top note.

The 2024s from Tenuta delle Terre Nere are nearly hedonistic in character yet remain expertly balanced. They are a fascinating follow-up to the 2023s, which were all about finesse and energy. The contrast speaks to Marco de Grazia’s ability to let the growing season come through without sacrificing balance.

Among the single-vineyard releases, the Etna Rosso Bocca d’Orzo continues to impress with each passing vintage, followed closely by the San Lorenzo. The Etna Rosso Prephylloxera, typically the most tightly wound bottling upon release, was highly expressive this year. The 2024 vintage also marks the inaugural release of a new Etna Bianco Superiore from Caselle, a cru on the eastern slopes in Milo. The crystalline, powerful 2024 highlights why this sector continues to grow in popularity.

Beginning with the 2026 vintage, updated DOC regulations will finally permit producers to include a wine’s specific township (comune) of origin on its label. This is a bureaucratic victory de Grazia has championed for a long time in an effort to better distinguish Etna’s various terroirs. As de Grazia commented, “I see it as my responsibility to help pave the path for Etna.” The current system simply falls short, as terroir can change drastically even within the boundaries of a single contrada. Tenuta delle Terre Nere remains both a benchmark on the volcano and an important force shaping its next generation. - Eric Guido September 2026

Appellation: Etna Bianco D.O.C.
Production area: Municipalities of Castiglione di Sicilia, Randazzo, Biancavilla and Milo.
Grapes: Carricante, Catarratto, Inzolia, Grecanico, Minnella.
Production: 6 tons per hectare.
Soil: volcanic, mixed from various vineyards.
Exposure: north/east side of Etna, from 600 to 900 meters above sea level
Age of the vineyards: mixed, from 5 to 100 years
Annual production: 50,000 bottles.