Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Aromas of tar, smoked meat and dried fruits verging on raisins. Very complex and thought-provoking. It's full-bodied, with chewy tannins and a long, flavorful finish. Lots of black pepper and dark fruits. Very structured and tannic. Always one of the top wines of Southern Italy. I prefer the 2011 and 2010, but give this time to soften: better in 2017.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
From a ten hectare vineyard, the 2012 Roccamonfina Terra di Lavoro touches on many of the glory points that made this such an important cult wine for Campania. Although 2012 was a hot vintage, this wine shows an impressive sense of balance and elegance. This is especially apparent on the nose where it delivers blasts of dark fruit, balsam herb, tar, licorice and volcanic ash with meticulous precision. The fruit is layered, soft and ripe. In fact, the mouthfeel is the wine's best asset. Its fine tannins offer enormous structure, but they are soft and yielding at the same time. This is an open and honest expression of Aglianico (80%) and Piedirosso that has only just begun its long evolution.
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Wine Spectator
Rich and expressive, with sappy black cherry and currant fruit, a tarry, mineral-tinged underpinning and accents of black licorice drop, wild herb, graphite and mocha, all wrapped around fine-grained tannins. Elegant and supple overall, with a long, aromatic finish. Aglianico. Drink now through 2025. 5,000 cases made.
The family-owned estate that is Galardi is unlike any other. Established in 1991, they produce just one wine, with near perfection, and are located in an ideal location with volcanic, sloping soils in the northwestern part of the Campania region of Italy. The influence of the Mediterranean Ocean’s breezes combined with the unique soil composition make the native grape varieties of Aglianico and Piedirosso a nearly instinctual process. Although the soils create unique flavors in the wine, they make for extremely low yields and only a couple thousand bottles of Galardi’s flagship, Terra di Lavoro, are bottled annually making the quality and price skyrocket.
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.