This bottle showed up in our house quite a few months ago, when I was hot on the trail of Aglianico-based wines. But as is often the case, our motley collection of wines grew haphazardly, my attention shifted from Aglianico, and this poor bottle languished in the shadows, waiting to be reconsidered. So as part of a recent push to drink the wine we actually have as opposed to buying new, we decided to open this bottle up the other night.

The Tari is Caggiano’s entry-level Aglianico wine. All of the grapes come from vines grown within the bounds of the Taurasi DOCG, but are considered too young by Caggiano to use in the Taurasi-labeled wine. Instead they use them to make this medium-bodied, more approachable wine. Aglianico makes up 80% of the wine, with Piedirosso adding 15%, and Fiano 5%. The Piedirosso and Fiano help to soften the wine considerably, and round some of Aglianico’s thornier edges. After fermentation the wine is aged 10-12 months in French barriques before being bottled.

The color of the wine is medium ruby red. The nose is intriguing with spices, tobacco, black cherries and dark red fruits. The palate is interestingly balanced, with an acidic undercurrent staged opposite a red fruit core. Some slight vanilla flavors emerge from the oak barrels, and lie alongside flavors of flinty menthol, grape skins, and black cherries. The wine is medium-textured and gentle, with some gripping tannins. The medium-length finish is all red fruit, with black cherries and raspberries kicking around.

A very pleasant, very drinkable red wine. It definitely displays some of aglianico’s characteristic elements, while still being very approachable.

Mastroberardino is a producer located  in Campania who are most notably famous for two things: their Taurasi DOCG bottling and the fact that they were a beacon of light in a wine-producing region that had come upon hard times for much of the latter part of the 20th century. In particular Mastroberardino is well-known for championing the many varietals indigenous to the region (although only two, aglianico and piedirosso are widely grown). This wine, their Aglianico d’Irpinia, is their basic aglianico offering. It is 100% aglianico, and is aged in botti grandi (large wooden tuns that hold approximately 100 liters).

Right off the bat, this is an interesting wine. It has the color of red velvet, a brownish red with a satiny sheen. That being said, it is a somewhat light-hued wine, the color far from being opaque. The nose has sour cherries and tart raspberries, a hint of astringent fruit preserves, and a dark tone. On the palate, the wine has tart apples, cherries, and liquorice. The finish is medium-length with the liquorice and cherries carrying on through.

What a nice wine! Erin and I both liked this a lot. It’s got nice, light fruit flavor balanced by something earthy and dark. This contrast gives it a great character, both easy drinking and challenging at the same time. It has the kind of character that leaves me guessing at what that hint of flavor is with each different sip.

I can’t wait to try the 2003 version to see how different it is, if at all. My suspicion is that 5 years and a completely different vintage will result in a different wine.

So here’s the question to linger on: having tried two aglianico-based wines in the last couple of weeks, have I found any common themes to this varietal? Common flavors, colors, characteristics? At this point I don’t really think so. This wine and the Grifalco were pretty different from one another. But one similarity was that both spoke of the promise of dark fruits, but delivered something different. The Grifalco had more stolid depth to it, but the Mastroberardino had more nuances and true depth.

As I’ve mentioned before, I’m highly impressionable when it comes to certain drinks-related things, whether it be an article about coffee or Oregon pinot gris, and the articles from the Art Of Eating are particularly persuasive. They’re not always the most fluidly written, but the curiousity and passion of the writers always comes through and is the most enjoyable aspect of the magazine. This article held particular sway over me since it was both passionate and about a wine I’d never heard of before.

So I went out and grabbed up the couple of aglianico wines that I could find, but really it was only a couple, and none was an Aglianico del Vulture. This isn’t necessarilly a bad thing – we got to try some good and intriguing wines. It became clear that aglianico grapes definitely produced a unique wine, one with depth; deep dark flavors of fruit and contrasted with something grittier (in flavor terms), leather or tar; and strong tannins.

But having not yet tried an Aglianico del Vulture, there was a part of me that was still curious, still keeping my eyes open for one in a shop. And it took a long time, months in fact, before I finally stumbled over one. I quickly grabbed it up, and tonight we opened it to have alongside a dinner of cheese, bread, and garlic soup. Excitement!

Grifalco is a fairly new winery, having produced their first vintage in 2004 (this one!). They grow only aglianico grapes, from 16 hectares in the DOC. The Grifalco bottling, their basic bottling, is aged for about two years, 80% in stainless steel and 20% in used American oak barrels, before being bottled. They also make a version named Bosco del Falco which is a step up from the Grifalco, and in 2007 they began producing a single-vineyard wine from Maschito.

So, how does Aglianico del Vulture (from Grifalco anyhow) stack up? The wine is deep, dark red, straight to the edges of the glass. The nose speaks of dark, red fruits – black cherries, with something lingering at the edges, something minty. The tannins are very strong in this wine, gripping the palate. Flavors of cherries and 85% bittersweet chocolate dominate, with some herbs sticking their noses in. Front to back, the tannins speak loudly. The finish wraps up with a lingering taste of tobacco, mint, and cherries, but is dominated by the tannins. In fact, the finish is the most tannic part of the wine, leaving a mild astringency in place.

On the whole I like this wine, but it doesn’t come across as very complex one. Very drinkable, and good for a cold, late-Fall evening, and given its price tag ($15) I’d comfortably buy this again.

What this wine really makes me think though, is that someday I’d like to get my hands on a Taurasi DOCG wine. Taurasi is located  in Campania, whereas Aglianico del Vulture is a DOC in Basilicata. Nonetheless, Taurasi is very well-thought-of denomination, is 100% aglianico, and is often considered the pinnacle of aglianico’s potential. In terms of following the lure of the aglianico grape, my impression is that a nice Taurasi (which are somewhat pricey) is the last step. One day…