Description
Marco de Grazia went to considerable lengths to secure the tiny vineyard behind Dagala di Bocca d’Orzo, and its history explains why. This half-hectare parcel preserves a rare piece of one of Etna’s most respected vineyard districts, much of which disappeared beneath lava in 1981.
The vines survived on a patch of ground surrounded by the flow, giving the wine its name: ‘dagala’, a Sicilian term for an island of land spared by lava. Discovered by the estate in 2017, the parcel eventually became part of Tenuta delle Terre Nere, with its first wine made in 2019.
Around 70 years old, the Nerello Mascalese vines grow in volcanic soils of pumice, basalt and sand. Production is tiny, at roughly 800 bottles a year, all from this one surviving plot.
The estate’s richer 2024 vintage brings generosity alongside the balance that impressed Eric Guido at Vinous, who singled out Bocca d’Orzo among the leading releases. A rare chance to taste a surviving fragment of historic Etna, from old vines with a story few vineyards can match.
98 points
"Lots of concentration but not heavy or coarse. Classy and intense."
- James Suckling
98 points
"The 2024 reverberates with zesty tension, structured and long. This is a thrilling, drop-dead-gorgeous Etna Rosso."
- Eric Guido (Vinous.com)
98 points
"The Sicilian word "dagala" describes an island of land surrounded by lava. This has a darker and more emphatically volcanic character, combining the unrelenting rigor of Calderara with the richness of San Lorenzo. Austere and tight, it recalls a dark lava-stone wall. The wine plays on depth, tension and volcanic power, holding firm without letting go."
- Monica Larner (The Wine Advocate)
| Price Bracket | $101 and Above |
| Type | Red |
| Body | Medium Bodied |
| Variety | Nerello Mascalese |
| Country | Italy |
| Region | Sicily |
| Feature |
High Score Cult |
| Reviewed By |
James Suckling Vinous The Wine Advocate |
| Critic Score |
98 |
| Size | 750ml |
| Vintage | 2024 |
| Closure | Cork |
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