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Etnella

Tracotanza Nerello Masc 2018

Price: $26.95
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Tasting notes

Tracotanza comes from bush-trained vines at 900 meters on Etna's north face, and that altitude shows: the tannins are lively but fine-grained, and the acidity keeps red cherry and violet aromas from ever feeling heavy. It is the kind of volcanic red that stays interesting through an entire meal.

BodyFruitTanninAcidity
CherryVioletVolcanic MineralHibiscus
  • Style: Dry, medium-bodied red; pale ruby; red cherry, violet, volcanic mineral; 13% ABV
  • Grapes & Terroir: Nerello Mascalese; alberello bush vines, 30-70 years old; volcanic basalt soils; Contrada Crasà and Montedolce, Solicchiata/Verzella, north face of Etna; 900m elevation
  • Winemaking: Spontaneous fermentation; 5-day skin maceration in stainless steel; aged in stainless steel; bottled unfined and unfiltered; low sulfites
  • Serving: Serve at 58-62°F; 20-30 min decant or light chill recommended
  • Pairing: Grilled lamb, pork with fennel, pasta al ragu, aged pecorino, mushroom dishes
  • Similar To: For fans of Pinot Noir and Nebbiolo who want volcanic mineral drive at a lower price

Tracotanza is a Terre Siciliane IGT red from Etnella, made from Nerello Mascalese grown on volcanic soils in Contrada Crasà and Montedolce, in the Solicchiata and Verzella areas on the north face of Mount Etna. Vines are alberello (bush-trained), between 30 and 70 years old, planted at roughly 900 meters above sea level. The volcanic ash and basalt soils yield low-yielding, concentrated fruit while the high altitude preserves the grape's natural acidity.

Winemaking is minimal: spontaneous fermentation in stainless steel, five days of skin maceration, aged in stainless steel, then bottled unfined and unfiltered with very low added sulfites. The name Tracotanza comes from Greek tragedy, referencing hubris and its divine consequence, Nemesis.

In the glass, this is a medium-bodied, pale ruby red with bright red cherry, violet, iron-tinged mineral character, and firm but fine-grained tannins. The high altitude and cool nights on Etna's north slope give it refreshing acidity alongside the warmth of the Sicilian sun.

Davide Bentivegna launched Etnella in 2008 after leaving a corporate career, with no inherited land or winemaking background. The estate now works multiple contrade across the north and northeast slopes of the volcano, farming organically with copper and sulfur as the only treatments.

Works well with grilled lamb chops, pork sausage with fennel, or pasta with a meat ragu. The firm acidity also cuts through aged pecorino or caciocavallo. A mushroom-based dish with earthy depth is a natural match given the wine's mineral, iron-edged character.

Wine details

Dry/Sweet:, Dry
Wine Type:, Red Wine
Wine Style:, Medium Body
Grapes:, Nerello Mascalese
Farming:, Organic
Vintage:, 2018
Alcohol:, 13%
Country:, Italy
Region:, Sicily
Appellation:, Terre Siciliane IGT
Bottle Size:, 750ml
Sugar Level:, Zero Added Sugar

We will process and ship your order in 2-3 business days, you will receive a shipping confirmation email with tracking as soon as the Carrier scans the shipping label.

Ground shipping time depends on location, here's a breakdown:

West Coast: 1-2 business days
Midwest: 3-4 business days
East Coast: 5 business days

Process time is not shipping time. Shipping time starts from the days successive to the day of shipping, after the order has been processed.

See here our shipping policy.


Important Compliance Requirements

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If you'd like to receive a refund for a package that was returned to us after FedEx made three delivery attempts, we can do that but we must keep a $20 refund fee; FedEx charges us a lot of money for returns, unfortunately, I can't stress this enough.


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If you'd like to cancel an order after it's been shipped, we can do so upon payment of a small cancellation fee – the amount depends on the size of the order. Carriers charge us a lot of money to recall a package en-route.


Heat/Frost damage

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Placed an order. What next?

1. You will receive an order confirmation email with your order summary.*

2. As soon as your order ships from the warehouse, usually within 2-3 business days, this applies to all shipping rates, you will receive a shipping confirmation email with your tracking information. 2DAY shipping refers to shipping time; we still need 2-3 business days to prepare an order. We need to pick and pack, QA, add printed collateral, and palletize the orders.

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**If delivery is attempted 3 times without success, or if you fail to retrieve your package from the carrier depot by the stated deadline, the shipping fee will not be refunded to the customer.

Returns Policy

If you are not satisfied with your purchase, please contact us at (424) 414-2040 or via e-mail at hello@primalwine.com between 9 am and 5 pm Pacific Standard Time, Monday through Sunday, we would like to understand and try to solve your concerns. We can offer refunds only as store credit.

Producer profile

Etnella

Davide Bentivegna founded Etnella in 2008 after leaving an executive position at Siemens, returning to his native hills outside Catania with no prior winemaking experience and no inherited land. The first wine, Notti Stellate Etna Rosso, was bottled in 2010 from a vineyard in Contrada Galfina in Linguaglossa. Since then, Davide has expanded to work multiple contrade across the north and northeast face of the volcano, with vineyard plots at altitudes between 600 and 1,000 meters above sea level.

All vineyards are farmed organically, with copper and sulfur as the only treatments, and work is performed manually. Vines are trained in the traditional alberello (bush vine) method and grow on terraced volcanic soils. Davide follows lunar phases as a guide for farming and cellar work, and adheres to Vinnatur's disciplinary rules, capping total sulfites at 30 mg/L on red wines.

Winemaking at Etnella uses spontaneous fermentation with indigenous yeasts. Tracotanza undergoes five days of skin maceration in stainless steel, then ages in stainless steel before being bottled unfined and unfiltered. Sulfite additions are minimal, typically well under 30 mg/L total.

Wine region

Sicily, Italy

Mount Etna is a DOC zone on the eastern side of Sicily, encircling Europe's highest active volcano at elevations ranging from roughly 400 to over 1,000 meters above sea level. The zone is divided into more than 130 contrade, historical sub-zones defined by distinct lava-flow ages, soil composition, and microclimate. The north face, which includes areas such as Solicchiata, Linguaglossa, and Randazzo, is considered the most prestigious for red wine production, with its cooler temperatures and mineral-rich volcanic soils.

Volcanic ash and basalt soils make the zone naturally resistant to phylloxera, meaning many vineyards contain ungrafted vines over 100 years old trained in the traditional alberello (bush vine) method. Nerello Mascalese is the dominant red grape, producing pale-colored, high-acid wines with fine tannins and strong mineral character. The Etna DOC was established in 1968 and is one of Sicily's oldest appellations. Wines not meeting DOC specifications, or sourced from plots outside its boundaries, are classified as Terre Siciliane IGT.

Frequently asked question

We will process and ship your order in 2-3 business days, you will receive a shipping confirmation email with tracking as soon as the Carrier scans the shipping label.

Ground shipping time depends on location, here's a breakdown:

West Coast: 1-2 business days
Midwest: 3-4 business days
East Coast: 5 business days

Process time is not shipping time. Shipping time starts from the days successive to the day of shipping, after the order has been processed.

See here our shipping policy.

Signature on delivery is mandatory for wine deliveries. Please make sure someone is at the shipping address to sign for the package.

If applicable, please consider delivering the package to a business address to ensure someone is available to sign for the package.

We also have the option of delivering the package to a Carrier's store for pickup. Please reach out to us to coordinate.

Carrier will try to delivery a package up to three times before returning the package to us.

See here our shipping policy.

If you miss a delivery and a package gets returned to us we have two options:

1) Reship the package right away: due to the very high cost of shipping and returns, we must charge a re-shipping fee to be determined based on package size and shipping destination.

2) Consolidate the returned package with your next order: this option is free of charge and it's the most popular option.

See here our shipping policy.

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