Winemaker Notes
This ruby-red wine has a full, complex spectrum of aromas, particularly of violet and blackberries. On the palate, it is full-bodied and mouth-filling, with persistent and elegant notes of plum, bitter cherry, strawberry jam and black pepper.
Radici Taurasi pairs flawlessly with roasted meats, larger game, spicy Middle Eastern dishes, truffles and aged, flavorful cheeses.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Rather complex, earthy nose with fine blue fruit and some delicate hints of spice. Richly textural palate that’s not at all heavy, the finish long and generous with a delicate hint of sweetness. Drink or hold.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Mastroberardino shows an impressive performance in this challenging vintage that was cooler and wetter than average. The 2014 Taurasi Radici is a rich and darkly concentrated expression of Aglianico with a generous bouquet. The wine's aromas are stacked high and tall with dried cherry, prune, Indian spice, tar, tobacco and campfire ash. Perhaps the mouthfeel is less powerful compared to a warmer vintage, but that cooling acidity and compact flavor profile suits this wine very nicely.
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Wine Enthusiast
Blackberry, truffle, fragrant blue flower and plum aromas follow through to the juicy palate along with baking spice and blackberry compote. Polished tannins lend finesse and structure. It’s already delicious but will also offer good mid-term aging.
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.