Winemaker Notes
Santo Spirito wines are sensual and succulent, always seductive, with an almost fleshy bouquet and a rich and enveloping palate. But always pure and balanced. Very refined, yes, but also delicate. At the same time generous and vulnerable. Sophisticated Lady by Duke Ellington can give you a musical image. Velvety, noble poultry, pork loin, escalopes with Marsala.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Dark and purple fruits with sliced mushroom and crushed stone, as well as terra-cotta and red-earth character in both the nose and palate. Full and powerful with chewy tannins and muscle. Good depth of fruit. Citrus fruit, too. It turns very perfumed and intense. Chewy at the end.
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Vinous
Opening like a basket of wild berries with dusty florals and sweet lavender, the 2022 Etna Rosso Santo Spirito is a total pleasure on the nose. This is lifted and pure in style, with ripe raspberries and blueberries mingling over a core of brisk acidity. It's long and structured yet still remarkably fresh, leaving a subtle coating of primary concentration and fine tannins to fade slowly. The Santo Spirito continues to be one of the most widely appealing wines in the Terre Nere portfolio, providing lovely depth, concentration and structure in a beautifully balanced package.
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Wine Spectator
Refreshing and mineral-driven, seamlessly layering concentrated flavors of ripe mulberry and raspberry fruit with well-cut tannins. Fragrant hints of pink peppercorn, pine, mandarin orange peel and iron linger on the finish.
Extending across the variable volcanic soils of the slopes of Mt. Etna at some of the highest vineyard altitudes in all of Europe—up to 3,300 feet—Nerello Mascalese is one of Sicily’s most noble red varieties. It makes a beautifully aromatic, firm, cellar-worthy but pale-hued red often comparable to a fine Burgundy or Barbaresco. Somm Secret—Nerello Mascalese takes its name from the black color of its grapes, nerello, and the Mascali plain between Mt. Etna and the coast where it is believed to have originated.
A large, geographically and climatically diverse island, just off the toe of Italy, Sicily has long been recognized for its fortified Marsala wines. But it is also a wonderful source of diverse, high quality red and white wines. Steadily increasing in popularity over the past few decades, Italy’s fourth largest wine-producing region is finally receiving the accolades it deserves and shining in today's global market.
Though most think of the climate here as simply hot and dry, variations on this sun-drenched island range from cool Mediterranean along the coastlines to more extreme in its inland zones. Of particular note are the various microclimates of Europe's largest volcano, Mount Etna, where vineyards grow on drastically steep hillsides and varying aspects to the Ionian Sea. The more noteworthy red and white Sicilian wines that come from the volcanic soils of Mount Etna include Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Cappuccio (reds) and Carricante (whites). All share a racy streak of minerality and, at their best, bear resemblance to their respective red and white Burgundies.
Nero d’Avola is the most widely planted red variety, and is great either as single varietal bottling or in blends with other indigenous varieties or even with international ones. For example, Nero d'Avola is blended with the lighter and floral, Frappato grape, to create the elegant, Cerasuolo di Vittoria, one of the more traditional and respected Sicilian wines of the island.
Grillo and Inzolia, the grapes of Marsala, are also used to produce aromatic, crisp dry Sicilian white. Pantelleria, a subtropical island belonging to the province of Sicily, specializes in Moscato di Pantelleria, made from the variety locally known as Zibibbo.