This is one of my favorite Etna wines. The Tenuta delle Terre Nere 2020 Etna Rosso Guardiola tends to show a slightly more nervous quality when sampled this young. This site sees a later harvest than the rest, and Guardiola always benefits from more bottle age. Fruit comes from the top part of Guardiola, right next to Santo Spirito, with poor volcanic sandy soil and basalt pebbles at 800 to 900 meters above sea level. A little religious shrine in the middle of the vines was burnt by lava in 1947. The bouquet offers moments of lilac, dried herb, blackcurrant and pencil shaving.

The 2016 Etna Rosso Guardiola offers a pure and steady presentation of varietal aromas that merge seamlessly from wild berry to ash to fragrant rose hip. Those tones are connected with delicate lacework-like complexity. The wine is silky and smooth in terms of mouthfeel, and it also offers an immediately accessible personality that means you don't need to wait too long to enjoy it. Guardiola is composed of 98% Nerello Mascalese and 2% Nerello Cappuccio. It is fermented with spontaneous yeasts and aged in a combination of barrique, tonneaux and botte grande for 18 months. Only 20% of the oak is new. Some 5,000 bottles were produced.

Compared to the wine made from the Contrada Santo Spirit, the 2014 Etna Rosso Guardiola is more subtle and streamlined. This expression delivers elegance and grace with pretty layers of wild berry, blue flower and light spice. It shows an impressive sense of harmony and seamless integration. Yet, don't underestimate the power of the mouthfeel. Guardiola delivers a very fine and firm tannic structure that adds to the wine's length and persistency. You can taste its volcanic favors for many long minutes.

My mind wanders to the immense beauty of this stunning vineyard site when I taste the 2013 Etna Rosso Guardiola. Throughout my many years covering Italian wine, this is one of the most beautiful sites I have ever had the honor to visit. That otherworldly beauty - with volcanic stone walls, knotted pre-phelloxera vines, cherry trees and wild flowers with little shrines to the Madonna peeping through the vines - is forever etched in my memory. Guardiola is among my favorite Etna Contrade. This is a shapely and sophisticated expression with dark fruit tones of cassis and blackcurrant backed by crushed mineral and dried flowers. The tannins are firm and drying. This vintage far exceeds my expectations.

The 2011 Etna Rosso Guardiola is among my favorite expressions from this estate. Guardiola is one of Marco-s highest and steepest vineyards and fruit harvested here picks up beautiful balsam and floral overtones. The wine also sports a darker, thicker consistency and a slightly softer management of the tannins. Licorice and anise seed flood over the palate. Drink 2017-2030. Marco de Grazia-s influence on the wines of Etna looms as large as the massive volcano that dominates the landscape in this very special corner of Sicily. This bi-cultural Italian and American figure (with extensive influence in the wine world as an importer, producer and great connoisseur of Barolo and Barbaresco) has pretty much moved permanently to live on Etna. His daughter is enrolled in the local school and his winery is a happy meeting ground for many younger Etna winemakers who seek Marco-s advice and counsel. I have often observed how the newest generations of winemakers - the so-called -Etna Boys- - refer to Marco in paternal tones. Importers: A Marc de Grazia Selection, with various American importers including, De Grazia Imports, www.marcdegrazia.com; Michael Skurnik Wine, www.skurnikwines.com; Classic Wine Imports, www.classicwineimports.com; Estate Wines, www.estatewinesltd.com