Maestro
Posts: 806
Joined: 10/4/2007
From: Italy
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Southern Italy offers some of the greatest "value wines" in the old world. These are also exciting times in the South as many producers have given up producing large quantities of jug wine and have instead focused on exploring their ancient vines and native varieties to produce high quality wine.
Being a Southerner myself, I thought I'd report to you about some of the best wines from Abruzzo, Molise, Campania, Basilicata, Puglia, Calabria, Sicily, and Sardegna.
I have no agenda other than helping the CT community understand wines from Southern Italy better (I am not a wine producer or exporter).
So let's start with one of the greatest varieties of the South: "Aglianico".
It is originally a Greek variety but it no longer exists in a stable form in Greece. You will find it primarily in Campania and Basilicata, but also in Puglia and Molise.
It is a high-quality and versatile grape that can be used for producing both structured, tannic and age-worthy wines as well as wines for more immediate consumption. It is sometimes blended with Sangiovese, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon with good results.
This variety powers what I consider the most underrated Italian DOCG: "Taurasi" ( http://www.consorziotutelataurasi.it/ ). Why the rest of the world goes ga-ga for some other DOCGs but not for Taurasi is something that only marketing theories can explain.
Taurasi wines are big, powerful, age-worthy, structured and complex.
Here are two excellent examples:
1997 Mastroberardino Taurasi Radici Riserva ($35)
( http://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=84668 )
1999 Feudi di San Gregorio Taurasi Riserva Piano Di Montevergine ($50)
( http://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=27968 )
These wines would take a Chianti Classico out in the parking lot and beat the living life out of it. If you find Taurasi or Taurasi Riserva wines, give it a try. They are full-body wines that need cellaring, but they are likely to impress you if you like the style.
Although Taurasi delivers excellent value when compared with some overpriced wines from the North, at $35-50 Taurasi is not exactly cheap so we must turn to other Aglianico wines for value.
Available at $12, from the region of Molise comes one of the greatest values in Aglianico. The "Contado" from producer "Di Majo Norante". I have tasted the 2001, 2003, and 2004 vintages and was very pleased with all three of them. ( http://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=240694 )
And if you really want good value out of a 100% Aglianico wine, then look no further than the 2004 Feudi di San Gregorio Irpinia Rubrato ( http://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=225969 ). At $16 you will certainly be impressed, provided that you like broad wines with polished tannins and an ample aromatics profile.
Good wines are also to be found when Aglianico goes into blends. A famous example is the "Montevetrano" from the Colli di Salerno IGT. It is not cheap at $50, but it is a beautiful example of how to use Aglianico to spice up a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Here's the 2002 Montevetrano, which is a beauty: http://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=28695
From Puglia comes one of my favorite wines, where Aglianico is either used alone or blended with up to 10% of Cabernet Sauvignon. It is called "Tormaresca Castel del Monte Bocca Di Lupo" and its quality is consistently high. At $18 it delivers real value. Here is the 2002 vintage: http://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=99264
Finally, we get to Basilicata and to the DOC known as the "Barolo of the South". I am speaking, of course, of "Aglianico del Vulture" ( http://www.aglianico-del-vulture.com ).
Personally, I think that the "Barolo of the South" marketing strategy (which is approved by the local producers) is wrong. It sets expectations of a certain type of wine which Aglianico del Vulture really isn't. I am not saying that Aglianico del Vulture cannot be as good as Barolo, but it is very different, and as such they should not put the consumer into a Nebbiolo frame of mind.
Having said that, Aglianico del Vulture can really deliver some excellent quality. The now famous 2003 Macarico ( http://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=160797 ), which costs about $32 and has been reviewed by IWC, WS, and GV is certainly a great way to get acquainted with Aglianico del Vulture. But many wines from this DOC are also available in the $15-19 range, such as the ones from Donato D'angelo.
That's it for this first edition of the Southern Italy Outpost. Please go ahead and let us know about your own experiences with Aglianico.
Next time I find time to report I will go through Nero d'Avola, the wonderful indigenous variety from Sicily.
< Message edited by Maestro -- 3/4/2008 5:43:30 AM >
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