Winemaker Notes
Ruby red with garnet hues, it shows blockbuster structure and complexity, richly smooth texture, superb flavor intensity, depth and persistence.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2005 Aglianico del Vulture Divinus is an intense wine graced with terrific length. Dark fruit, sweet spices, flowers and minerals come together nicely in the mid-weight, focused Divinus. French oak, menthol and flowers linger on the round, creamy finish. This impressive Aglianico keeps getting better and better in the glass. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2020.
Italian Red Wine
While picturesque hillsides, endless coastlines and a favorable climate serve to unify the grape-growing culture of this country. The apparent never-ending world of indigenous grape varieties gives Italy an unexampled charm and allure for its red wines. From the steep inclines of the Alps to the sprawling, warm, coastal plains of the south, red grape varieties thrive throughout.
The kings of Italy, wines like Barolo and Barbaresco (made of Nebbiolo), and Chianti and Brunello di Montalcino (made of Sangiovese), as well as Amarone (mostly Corvina), play center stage for the most lauded, collected and cellar-worthy reds. Less popular but entirely deserving of as much praise are the wines made from Aglianico, Sagrantino and Nerello Mascalese.
For those accustomed to drinking New World reds, the south is the place to start. Grapes like Negroamaro or Primitvo from Puglia and Nero d’Avola from Sicily make soft, ammicable, full-bodied, fruit-dominant wines. Curious palates should be on the lookout for Cannonau (Grenache), Lagrein, Teroldego, Ruché, Freisa, Cesanese, Schiopettino, Rossese and Gaglioppo to name a few.