The Auswine Forum

Ozzie W wrote:

Rossco wrote:

brodie wrote:3 x 2018 Terre Nerre Etna Rosso
3 x 2018 Terre Nerre Calderara
3 x 2018 Terre Nerre Guardiola
3 x 2018 Terre Nerre San Lorenzo

I am very interested to see what these are like. 2018 a pretty average year by some reports in Etna, plus I have had a couple of
premox bottles from this producer (others on here haven't though) so im really interested to get your thoughts.

There was an article in Vinous a couple weeks ago which was pretty damning regarding the 2018 Etna vintage.

"Two thousand-eighteen is a chaotic vintage defined by rain, rain and more rain, something that Sicily isn’t used to. Rain in the late spring, rain in the summer, and rain at the worst time: during harvest. The year itself started out mild, turning a bit cooler during the late spring yet resulting in an even bud-break. Temperatures steadily increased following the first precipitation event in late April/early May. This warmth continued into June, though ironically without any precipitation, which resulted in drought conditions. The summer evened out, but August brought more trouble in the form of abundant rain and unusually cool temperatures. At this point, it was important for producers to work the vineyards to avoid rot. September evened out once again, the weather turning warm and drier, but with October came more rain and, on the southwest of Etna, hail, which pushed producers to harvest quickly. In the end, good timing, long days in the vineyards and strict selection were all necessary to make great wines in 2018. It’s on Mount Etna that I believe we see the worst of it. Many of the best producers struggled, and it’s not uncommon to find drastic swings in quality within just one portfolio. That said, the best wines of this uneven vintage are truly worth seeking out."
Source: https://vinous.com/articles/sicily-the-islan ... n-jun-2021

There's a detailed harvest report on the Terre Nerre website, which concluded with:

"The harvest started 8 days later than in 2017; the white grapes were perfect from the sanitary point of view and with a degree of maturation from medium to good considering the vintage. The harvest of Nerello mascalese was much more demanding, as the generalized non homogeneity of maturation forced a strong selection in the vineyards, with gradual harvests in the same “contrada” or even in the same vineyard. Moreover, the sudden deterioration of the sanitary conditions of the grapes, especially in fresh and fertile areas, has led to a direct loss of production, as a part of the grapes has not been harvested. The selection of grapes in the vineyards this year was certainly the element that made the difference on the final quality of the wine.
In such a year, perhaps as never before, the difficult choices and the sacrifices of all have finally led to a great result in terms of the quality of the wines. In general, the wines have a lower alcohol content and a higher acidity than the average of the last years. The color is very vivid, due to low pH levels, the nose is fragrant and delicate; structurally they are rather elegant wines with great balance, pleasantness and drinkability."
Source: http://www.tenutaterrenere.com/pdf/report%2 ... 0(ENG).pdf

I think 2018 a vintage for drinking sooner rather than later.

Hi Ozzie and Rossco, interesting info there Ozzie. It is funny in a way, I was excited to read about the 2018s - the lower alcohol and higher acidity being what I prefer in the wines anyway. I have found the riper years can get a bit big and clumsy.

I have learnt over time to trust producer over vintage. This is especially true for red burgs where apart from 2004, every single vintage has interest and complexity and the vintage variation adds to the experience. I have also learnt that even in so called poor vintage there are often very good wines. I have found that in both Bordeaux and Burgundy that I often prefer "lesser" vintage to the the so called great years.

I also tend to drink my Etna wines on the earlier side anyway - while waiting on Barolos and Brunellos to age.

I most buy Passopiscario and Terre Nerre and so far have never had a bad bottle from either make.

Time will tell if my optimism over the 2018s is misplaced or not!

Brodie

Managed to pick up a couple of bottles of Primo Joseph sparkling red, plus a bottle of (IIRC) 2015 Primo Moda. I would have got more of the former, but I don't know anyone else who likes this type of wine.