1998 Fattoria Galardi Terra di Lavoro

Community Tasting Notes (5) Avg Score: 91.8 points

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  2/3/2020 - forceberry wrote: 89 Points

  A blend of Aglianico (80%) and Piedirosso (20%) from vineyards averaging 8 years. Macerated with the skins for 20 days in stainless steel. Aged for 12 months in new Alliers and Nevers oak barriques. 13% alcohol, 5,8 g/l acidity and pH 3,7. Total production 3,000 bottles. Tasted in a Terra di Lavoro 2011-1997 vertical.
  
  Pale, translucent and noticeably developed brick-orange color with an almost colorless rim. Somewhat restrained - even slightly closed - nose with sweet-toned aromas of cherry marmalade, some balsamic VA, light vegetal notes of cooked bell pepper, a hint of bouillon and a chemical touch of hot glue. The wine is medium-to-moderately full-bodied on the palate with developed, dry flavors of cranberries, cooked bell pepper, some crunchy redcurrants, light gamey notes of meat, light sweet nuanced of black cherries, a hint of exotic spice and a rich, tertiary hint of prunes. The wine is wonderfully bright with fresh, high acidity, whereas the tannins feel soft, mellow and fully resolved. The finish is quite long with very gently grippy tannins and developed flavors of ripe cranberries, sour cherry bitterness, some wild strawberries, light pruney tones, a hint of leather and a sweet'n'sour touch of lingonberry jam.
  
  A still fresh but slightly underwhelming vintage of Terra di Lavoro at its plateau of maturity or perhaps slightly past it. The wine is wonderfully high in acidity - perhaps showing the highest acidity of all the vintages we tasted - but otherwise coming across as less impressive than the preceding vintages. The nose is very reticent and offers rather little of anything and while the oak seems to have been integrated fully with the fruit, the overall feel lacks the complexity and intensity of the better vintages. All in all, this is an enjoyable and balanced Campanian red with some age, but lacks the depth and finesse of the best vintages.

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  6/26/2018 - walkerjfw wrote:

  With Todd at Topo Gigio in Chicago, I brought this one as an "interesting" Italian wine for the evening. This is the sole bottle of this vintage in my cellar, was interested to try in its 20th year...decanted for about 30 minutes.
  
  Dark, inky purple/ruby color. Nose showing black plums, charcoal/ash (assuming from volcanic soils) and earth. Palate of dark cherry, bacon fat, dark licorice, truffle, charcoal...Interesting secondary notes. Medium/long finish, tannins fined but still present.
  
  Wine continued to improve in the glass over an hour - suggesting more air time would benefit it. This was an extension of my experiences with this other vintages of this wine - I find the crowd loves/hates it. The flavor profile is unmistakable (to me) but not always interesting or enjoyable to some drinkers - as a consequence I might say this is well made and age worthy wine...but hard (for me) to rate in traditional way. Interesting wine, worth a try. This bottle suggests very age worthy, still had big powerful fruit at 20 years...and plenty of life left

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  4/24/2012 - Biglama wrote: 91 Points

  bijzonder glas, mooie ouderings geuren, gerijpt fruit, kersen, houtinvloed, lijkt op Bordeaux , intense geur, smaak is zacht en soepel, niet meer zo vitaal, loopt wel op zijn laatste benen, bijzonder

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  2/20/2012 - Stefanos T. wrote: 95 Points

  I heven't tasted any other wine outside Bordeaux to taste as much as the real thing. Of course this is not a Cabernet blend but instead an Aglianico and Piedirosso and it maybe denigrating to compare it with anything else but itself but what I am talking about is a super second or even a first growth. And if taste is not really identical it is so close that I could easily mistake it in a blind tasting but above all it is very similar in matter of style. It is a wine for connoissseurs in that it is savoury and rather bitter (adult taste) rather than fruity and sweet as are most wines made to impress. Secondary aromas are prominent but it is still youtfull with many years to go. Cedar, ink, porcini mushroom, truffle, polished leather, graphite minerality and black fruit make up the nose. Palate is a mixture of porcini, truffle, cedar, leather and blackcurrant. Polished but firm tannins, high acidity, fluid texture very much like a left bank Bordeaux and beautiful bitter and lond finish. Outstanding wine. Drink or keep.

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  3/19/2010 - markellen.foodies@gmail.com wrote: 92 Points

  Intriguing!. Much better than when I tried it soon after realease, and found it then to be undrinkable, over the course of 4 days. Today, opened at my office and let breathe in bottle for 6 hrs, and then decanted for an hr before traveling to Prime 112. A substantial amount of royal purple hand staining sediment upon decanting. Bouquet of sandalwood, good texture, and arresting aftertaste. Ellen thought it brett, and I insisted it was wood , not brett.
  Very good, but not the heralded wine that RP predicted.
  Will be interesting to see how it compares with Aglianico's Pasquale brought me from Basilicata, his Province.

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