Winemaker Notes
Deep, dark garnet. Concentrated aromas of pepper, black cherry, anise, and oak.
Taste: On the palate the wine shows concentrated fruit, but there is a good amount of acidity that brings a freshness, the finish is pleasant with soft, enjoyable tannin.
Pair with grilled steak, roasts, barbecued meats, meat-stuffed pastas in brown sauces, rich and hearty stews, and dry cheeses.
Professional Ratings
-
Vinous
The 2015 Aglianico Cretarossa takes its time opening in the glass, at first quite herbal and peppery in nature. Beneath, there is a core of bright cherries and blackberries mixed with hints of sour citrus. This is soft-textured and savory in style, with a dense wave of black fruit giving way to notes of licorice and spice. Its tannins come forward toward the close, gripping the palate with youthful poise, accentuated by hints of bitter coffee, nuances of dark chocolate and tobacco. The 2015 needs a little more time to fully come together.
Making its home in the mountainous southern Italy, Aglianico is a bold red variety that is late to ripen and often spends until November on the vine. It thrives in Campania as the exclusive variety in the age-worthy red wine called Taurasi. Aglianico also has great success in the volcanic soils of Basilicata where it makes the robust, Aglianico del Vulture. Somm Secret—The name “Aglianico” bears striking resemblance to Ellenico, the Italian word for "Greek," but no evidence shows it has Greek ancestry. However, it first appeared in Italy around an ancient Greek colony located in present-day Avellino, Campania.
A winemaking renaissance is underfoot in Campania as more and more small, artisan and family-run wineries redefine their style with vineyard improvements and cellar upgrades. The region boasts a cool Mediterranean climate with extreme coastal, as well as high elevation mountain terroirs. It is cooler than one might expect in Campania; the region usually sees some of the last harvest dates in Italy.
Just south of Mount Vesuvio, the volcanic and sandy soils create aromatic and fresh reds based on Piedirosso and whites, made from Coda di Volpe and Falanghina. Both reds and whites go by the name, Lacryma Christi, meaning the "tears of Christ." South of Mount Vesuvio, along the Amalfi Coast, the white varieties of Falanghina and Biancolella make fresh, flirty, mineral-driven whites, and the red Piedirosso and Sciasinoso vines, which cling to steeply terraced coastlines, make snappy and ripe red wines.
Farther inland, as hills become mountains, the limestone soil of Irpinia supports the whites Fiano di Avellino, Falanghina and Greco di Tufo as well as the most-respected red of the south, Aglianico. Here the best and most age-worthy examples come from Taurasi.
Farther north and inland near the city of Benevento, the Taburno region also produces Aglianico of note—called Aglianico del Taburno—on alluvial soils. While not boasting the same heft as Taurasi, these are also reliable components of any cellar.