Working class ruggedness meets regal aspirations. Poised, plump and powerful.
Compact ruby colour with garnet reflections.
Earthy and impactful aromas of plum, black cherry, cassis and tart berry jam, warm, pungent spices, black liquorice, leather and smoke with subtler notes of violets and eucalyptus.
Full bodied with potent tannins and high acidity, reoccurring notes of jammy, forests fruits and cherry, perfectly balanced and clean with a bittersweet finish and long persistence.
A powerful and stern wine with just enough fruit flavours to make it pleasant.
93 points
Food pairings:
This wine has structure and intensity with fruity notes and bitterness playing off each other calling for rich, succulent, meaty dishes. Some examples: pasta ragù, beef pot roast, chilli, steak and potatoes.
This wine is a blend of 80% Aglianico and 20% Piedirosso. The grapes are fermented in steel with 14 days maceration, followed by malolactic fermentation. The wine is then aged in small barriques of French oak for 12 months with at least 10 months ageing in the bottle. It is a wine with enough tenacity to age well.
The Galardi Estates are located in Roccamonfina in the northern region of Campania, Italy. The vineyards are cultivated alongside olive and chestnut groves in vulcanic terrain facing the Mediterranean Sea. This small, family owned winery produces only one wine with about 35,000 bottles a year since 1994. Despite the relative youth of the winery, it has quickly gained prestige winning many international awards and has even been classified as the Best Italian Wine repeatedly by Luigi Veronelli. The wine’s success is due in part to the internationally acclaimed enologist, Riccardo Cotarella, who has a keen interest in reviving wines from the south of Italy and is known for his consistency in producing high quality wines, recognised also in international markets.
Both the choice in producing only one wine and the enologist show a clear interest in perfection, which is usually commendable. Despite the hype of this wine, I failed to be truly impressed as I tend to value uniqueness more, but perhaps I should give it another chance.
Vinthropology 