2011 Fattoria Galardi Terra di Lavoro
Community Tasting Note
forceberry wrote:
Monday, February 3, 2020 - A blend of Aglianico (80%) and Piedirosso (20%) from vineyards averaging 15 years. Macerated with the skins for 20 days. Aged for 12 months in new Alliers and Nevers oak barriques. 14% alcohol, 5,3 g/l acidity and pH 3,7. Total production approximately 32,000 bottles. Tasted in a Terra di Lavoro 2011-1997 vertical.
Almost fully opaque and very slightly hazy blackish-red color. Big, ripe and quite polished nose with very Cabernet-like nose of sweet blackcurrant, some blueberry tones, light toasty oak tones, a little bit of chocolatey mocha oak, a woody hint of pencil shavings and a touch of black cherry. The overall feel here is that of a modern Bordeaux, not Campanian wine. The wine is ripe, full-bodied and juicy on the palate with flavors of sweet blackcurrants, some blueberry tones, light toasty oak tones and lighter nuances of savory oak spice, a little bit of astringent chokeberry character, a sanguine hint of iron and a touch of leather. The structure relies mostly on the high acidity; the tannins are ample, but so ripe that they contribute mainly to the chewy texture, not to the structure. The finish is dry, long and very gently grippy with quite intense flavors of sour cherries, some redcurrants, a little bit of extracted woody bitterness, light peppery tones, a hint of earthy and a crunchy touch of astringent chokeberry.
A big, ripe and accessible effort for an Aglianico-driven blend. Riccardo Cotarella's fingerprints are all over the wine; it shows less sense of place and comes across more as a modern red wine made to be a Southern Italian facsimile of a Napa Cab or a contemporary Left-Bank Bordeaux. Not a bad wine in any way, but these glossy, modern red wines really don't cut it for me. I want my Aglianicos robust and tannic, not soft and oaky. In the vertical tasting this vintage came across as noticeably oakier and more modern than the rest of the vintages, but we couldn't make it out whether it was only because of the age or if the winemaking had changed with this vintage. Nevertheless, I can imagine this vintage will benefit from further aging - in the hopes the oak will integrate better with the fruit.
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