Aglianico

This is a wine from Campania in south/central Italy.  It is made 100% from Aglianico grapes.  Deep purple in color, opaque and bright.  There is a lot of Brettanomyces yeast on the nose giving it a heavy barnyard scent.  This will often be different in different bottles, but given the level in the bottle I had, it will be problematic for some.  I am relatively tolerant of the scent but it made it difficult to get anything else on the nose.  Luckily, it was a bit cleaner on the palate.  Black cherry fruit of an earthiness.  Nice texture.  Good acidity.  Moderate finish.  This will work bette

This wine is not for everyone.  It is rustic, rough and decidedly not a fruit bomb.

This was smoking good.  My first time trying this although I have had this winery's lower end offerings before.  My understanding is that this wine is made in the same method as Amarone.  The grapes are dried out on straw mats prior to being crushed, but the wine is fermented (mostly) dry.  This is a robust and delicious wine.  Purple in color.  The nose has black cherries, cherries, tobacco, slight  roasted herbs, anise and smoke.  Full bodied.  Dry.  On the palate flavors of black raspberries, black cherries over burnt forest floor.  Great texture.  Complex and layered depth.  Good acidit

From the arch in the Italian boot.  This wine is consistently a great value.  It does takes some time to mature, so finding the 2010 was a treat.  Made from the Aglianico grape.  This is deep ruby in color.  The nose has black cherries, smoke, slight anise and a nice minerality.  Full bodied.  This is ripe with nice black cherry fruit.  Underneath is a nice smoky minerality.  Very nice texture.  Good acidity.  Long finish.  This is a tasty wine that will work well on its own (not common for Italian wines) or with food (the way Italians drink wine!).  It might improve a bit more but should b

This is a very nice wine made from the Aglianico grape in southern Italy (think the arch of the foot).  Aglianico can be one of the more tannic grapes.  It often needs a lot of cellaring to come around but also can be quite long lived.  Purple in color, slight ruby rim.  The nose is nice with black cherries, black pepper, roasted herbs, and slight anise.  On the palate, this has strong tannins.  Bright black cherry fruit with good acidity.  This will need at least five years to show much and better to give it ten.  It should be good for another ten to fifteen, at least, after that.  It is v

Sadly, my last bottle of this was corked.  Below is a review from 2015 of this wine.  

No way, blind, did I think this was 16 years old. Purple/ruby in color. The nose is black cherries, spice and slightly dusty. Juicy acidity on the palate. Lots of ripe black cherry fruit. Medium tannins. delicious.

Taurasi is a grape that generally needs a long time to come around even in the less expensive bottlings.  This one is a step or two above those although it is the base wine for this producer.  A very nice example.  Deep purple in color.  The nose is nice.  Earthy with smoke, anise and plenty of black cherry fruit.  On the palate, this is complex and nice layered with earth, cherries and forest floor notes.  Firm tannins.  Good acidity.  Nice finish.  It will work with a wide variety of foods from stews to a steak to a pasta with cream sauce.  If drinking soon, it should be given time to bre

This is from the "arch" of the Italian boot area and made from the Aglianico grape.  It is possibly the best wine from this area but it does take a long time to mature.  At 19 years from vintage, this wine is now in a great place.  Purple/ruby in color.  The nose has black cherries, leather, cigar box, and dust.  On the palate, it does show some age but plenty of fresh cherries and black cherries as well over a dry earthy, tobacco quality.  Good acidity, this goes quite well with food.  Nice finish.  It was decanted for sediment and continued to improve for an hour before leveling off.  No

This is a really interesting wine that sells for $15.  It is 80% Montepulciano and 20% Aglianico.  The 2012 is what seems to be in the stores in the US right now and it is drinking great.  Purple in color with ruby swirls.  The nose has black cherries, smoke and plums.  On the palate, there is a nice underlying minerality with nice black cherry fruit.  Good acidity.  This worked well with pasta but drinks fine on its own, the acidity is not as much as many Italian wines.  Good finish.  Probably has another 3 to 5 years left.  Maybe more.  

Ruby/purple in color.  The nose is dusty with cherries.  It seems slightly oxidized at this point but not to the point of not enjoying the wine.  On the palate, more cherry cough drop.  Good acidity.  Very nice wine that may be a bit past peak but drinking well.  Still, I would drink these sooner than later.