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2016 Irpinia Campi Taurasini “Re‘na Vota”
Terre del VescovoAglianico grown high in the sparsely populated mountain villages of Irpinia, east of Naples, produces red wines that rank among Italy’s most intense and austere. This example—a declassified Taurasi from Montemarano, one of the top crus for Aglianico in Campania—has been somewhat tamed through seven years of aging, first in large cask and then in bottle. Today the tannin is sleek and chalky, providing a firm backbone to the racy blackberry, sour plum, violet, and bitter cocoa suggestions. Rustic in the best sense, this biting red demands similarly characterful fare. Try it with aged sheep’s milk cheeses, hearty stews, or a thick, dry-aged ribeye seasoned simply and singed by woodsmoke.
—Anthony Lynch
Wine Type: | red |
Vintage: | 2016 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Aglianico |
Appellation: | Irpinia Campi Taurasini |
Country: | Italy |
Region: | Campania |
Producer: | Terre del Vescovo |
Vineyard: | Planted in 1952 |
Soil: | Clay, limestone |
Farming: | Sustainable |
Alcohol: | 13.5% |
More from this Producer or Region
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A dense and chiseled Aglianico from old vines at elevation.
About The Producer
Terre del Vescovo
Terre del Vescovo is a 4-hectare property in Montemarano, a top cru of the Taurasi zone where the appellation’s highest-elevation sites yield chiseled, mineral, age-worthy reds. At up to 600 meters above sea level on soils of clay and limestone, the vines benefit from significant diurnal temperature shifts crucial to developing complex, well-defined flavors and preserving freshness at this southerly latitude. Thanks to this slow maturation, the late-ripening Aglianico is harvested in November, sometimes under a blanket of snow.
Giuseppa Molettieri cultivates these vineyards (many of them 60+ years old) with her husband Luigi, intent on preserving the tradition established by her father, Giovanni. He was the first of several generations of farmers in the family to bottle his wine and gain recognition for his Taurasi, and still watches over the vines and cellar to this day.
About The Region
Campania
Campania enjoys an ancient history as a fine wine producer—in fact, its precious nectars were highly coveted in ancient Rome and received accolades from many important writers of the era, including Pliny the Elder. While winemaking here dates back to the first Greek settlers to colonize the countryside, Campania is now enjoying a wine renaissance, as small farmers are relying less and less on the co-ops that dominated the scene for decades and increasingly turning to estate-bottling to make a living and capture the richness their territory has to offer.
The Mediterranean coastline, with bustling Napoli and towering Vesuvio as its focal point, is home to a number of light, simple wines from indigenous grape varieties, often planted in sandy volcanic soils. But Campania’s viticultural heartland lies further inland, in the Irpinia region around Avellino: this mountainous terrain offers altitude and limestone soils where the noble Aglianico, Fiano, and Greco are capable of producing what are arguably some of southern Italy’s most complex, characterful, and often age-worthy reds and whites.
The increasing number of artisanal producers bottling their own wine caught our eye several years ago, and today we count one Campanian grower among our ranks. With its deep winemaking traditions—not to mention world-famous specialties like mozzarella di bufala and pizza napoletana—we will undoubtedly return soon.
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Kermit once said...
Kermit once said...
Great winemakers, great terroirs, there is never any hurry. And I no longer buy into this idea of “peak” maturity. Great winemakers, great terroirs, their wines offer different pleasures at different ages.
Inspiring Thirst, page 312