Aglianico

This is made from the Aglianico grape in Basilicata (the arch of the boot), Italy.  15% abv.  Purple in color with garnet swirls, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has black cherries, anise, smoke and spice.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins.  Moderate acidity.  On the palate, black cherries, cherry liqueur, slight bitter cherry note and spice.  Long finish.  At age 6, this still seems young as it improved greatly when tasting it on day 2.  This drinks well on its own and will work well with food.  A nice wine with a hearty Lasagna.  Drink over the next ten years.  

Taurasi DOCG is made from Aglianico grapes and is one of the most underrated grapes anywhere.  The more "serious" ones can age fr thirty years, and the more accessible ones are usually great values.  This is the later.  Purple in color with a ruby rim.  The nose has black cherries, char, and slight spice.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins.  On the palate, black cherries, cherries and black licorice.  Good acidity.  Good finish. This is delicious and drinks easily on its own although it will work great with a nice pizza.  Drink over the next five to eight years.  

Tormaresca is an Antinori winery in Apulia in southern Italy.

Really a great wine from an underappreciated region and winemaker (Elena Fucci).  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is deep and concentrated with black raspberries, floral notes, roasted herbs and spice.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins.  On the palate, black raspberries with underlying smoke and spice.  Delicious.  Good balance.  Moderate but enough acidity.  Good finish.  This drinks great on its own but will work well with foods (especially fatty foods).  Roast brisket would be a nice choice.  It is still young but is drinking well especially with some air.  it should drink well f

This is a serious wine and in a great place right now.  By law, Taurasi Riserva's must be aged in wood for four years prior to release.  They are made from the Aglianico grape.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has plums, char, pine and spice.  Firm tannins.  Lush texture.  This is delicious. On the palate, black raspberry fruit.  Deep.  Long finish.  It seems to be getting close to peak but not there yet.  This should improve a bit over the next five to ten years, and will drink well for fifteen to twenty after that.  No harm drinking today, but give it

This is made in the "arch" of the boot in southern Italy utlizing a similar method as Amarone.  The grapes are dried out on straw mats prior to being crushed, but the wine is fermented (mostly) dry.  This is a big fruity and ripe wine that even at age 12, is young.  Purple in color.  The nose has black cherries, cherries, tobacco, roasted herbs, anise and smoke.  Full bodied.  Dry.  On the palate flavors of black raspberries, black cherries over burnt forest floor.  Great texture.  Complex and layered depth.  Good acidity.

This is a wine from Campania in south/central Italy.  It is made 100% from Aglianico grapes.  Deep purple in color, opaque and bright.  There is a lot of Brettanomyces yeast on the nose giving it a heavy barnyard scent.  This will often be different in different bottles, but given the level in the bottle I had, it will be problematic for some.  I am relatively tolerant of the scent but it made it difficult to get anything else on the nose.  Luckily, it was a bit cleaner on the palate.  Black cherry fruit of an earthiness.  Nice texture.  Good acidity.  Moderate finish.  This will work bette

This wine is not for everyone.  It is rustic, rough and decidedly not a fruit bomb.

This was smoking good.  My first time trying this although I have had this winery's lower end offerings before.  My understanding is that this wine is made in the same method as Amarone.  The grapes are dried out on straw mats prior to being crushed, but the wine is fermented (mostly) dry.  This is a robust and delicious wine.  Purple in color.  The nose has black cherries, cherries, tobacco, slight  roasted herbs, anise and smoke.  Full bodied.  Dry.  On the palate flavors of black raspberries, black cherries over burnt forest floor.  Great texture.  Complex and layered depth.  Good acidit

From the arch in the Italian boot.  This wine is consistently a great value.  It does takes some time to mature, so finding the 2010 was a treat.  Made from the Aglianico grape.  This is deep ruby in color.  The nose has black cherries, smoke, slight anise and a nice minerality.  Full bodied.  This is ripe with nice black cherry fruit.  Underneath is a nice smoky minerality.  Very nice texture.  Good acidity.  Long finish.  This is a tasty wine that will work well on its own (not common for Italian wines) or with food (the way Italians drink wine!).  It might improve a bit more but should b