Winemaker Notes
This pairs well with all roasted meats, including beef fillet, rib-eye steaks, grilled lamb chop, game, spicy dishes, mushrooms, truffles and aged cheeses, such as aged provolone, parmigiano or gorgonzola.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This plush Taurasi still has a lot of life left as it leads with notes of dried elderberries, dried meat, steak tartare, cigar box and dried cedar. Full-bodied, tannic and earthy, it is an uncompromising style of red with enormous concentration, but some verve on the long, chewy finish. Drink from 2023.
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Wine Spectator
Firm and focused, a tightly meshed red offering layers of dried cherry, a savory undertow of tarry mineral and leather, and accents of dried herb and mandarin orange peel. Long and chewy on the finish. Best from 2021 through 2029.
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Wine Enthusiast
Underbrush, mature black-skinned fruit and culinary spice aromas lead the nose. The dense palate offers dried blackberry, prune, licorice and powdered sage set against close-grained tannins. Drink 2020–2032.
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Decanter
Mouthwatering prune and cherry notes, a bold structure, intense tannins and classy oak with a leather and chocolate finish.
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.