2005 Taurasi Riserva, Perillo, Castelfranci, Campania

2005 Taurasi Riserva, Perillo, Castelfranci, Campania

Product: 20058136008
Place a bid
 
2005 Taurasi Riserva, Perillo, Castelfranci, Campania

Buying options

You can place a bid for this wine on BBX
Place a bid
Sorry, Out of stock

Description

Michele Perillo and his family make wonderful wines in their modest premises in the heart of Taurasi, adjacent to their steep vineyards where the tree-like Aglianico vines grow on the precipitous slopes. At almost 10 years old, one might expect a forward, soft and open wine, but the quality of the 2005 vintage in Campania means that this is still quite backward. It is very tight on the nose, but with spicy, black fruit showing through. The quality is evident on the palate though, with great concentration, lovely balance and definition. It can be drunk now if decanted, but will really come into its own as it ages.

From the secluded village of Castelfranci, high among the uppermost reaches of the river Calore and in the Taurasi DOCG region, comes this tiny, family estate of three hectares owned by Michele Perillo, his wife Anna Maria Romano and their children Felice and Nicola. Though their story dates back to 1887, bottling only started in 1999. Their old-vine Aglianico grapes are grown in traditionally-high trellises on compact sand and limestone to produce Taurasi – a mythical wine that needs time.

wine at a glance

Delivery and quality guarantee

About this WINE

Perillo di Romano A Maria, Campania

Perillo di Romano A Maria, Campania

Michele Perillo, his wife Anna Maria Romano, along with their sons Felice and Nicola continue a tradition of winemaking that dates back to 1887; yet they initiated commercial bottling in 1999. The family estate is to be found high up in the tiny village of Castelfranci, an hour’s drive from Naples among the Irpinian hills 500 metres above the Calore river; a river which threads its way through the Taurasi zone of production. Castelfranci has 65 ha of Aglianico (for Taurasi) vineyards, of which the Perillo family have 3ha.

They also benefit from a hectare of vines from across the valley at Montemarano, another famous Taurasi village. Importantly they, like Luigi Tecce next door, still tend prized old clone vines trellised in the traditional ‘raggiera’, tree-like way that produce high quality fruit, if labour-intensively (while many neighbours have given in to the new clones and mechanisation of cordon trained vines).

The soils at Castelfranci are essentially calcareous with a predominance of compact sand, that, along with the crucial diurnal temperature shift between day and night, gives intense, thick skinned, damson coloured fruit that’s normally harvested in November. Yields do not normally exceed 25 hl/hectare (due to the age of the vines). Verve and fruit intensity is what characterises the Aglianico fruit from the upper reaches of the Calore. Fruit perfect for long ageing wines.

Vinification takes place in stainless steel followed by ageing in mainly French barriques but with an increasing presence of larger oak. The fruit for the Taurasi Riserva comes from the best maturing plots, is aged for 20 months in barriques and then 6 years in bottle prior to release They also make a sunny, salty white from the indigenous Coda di Volpe grape.
David Berry Green, BBR Buyer

 

Find out more
Taurasi

Taurasi

Campania’s volcanic soils yield wines of impressive elegance and personality, as demonstrated by an array of compelling indigenous varieties. 

The DOCG wine appellation of Taurasi is located in the region of Irpinia within Campania, which is also home to the prestigious DOCGs; Fiano di Avellino, Greco di Tufo and the Irpinia DOC. 

Taurasi is the stronghold of the Aglianico grape, which thrives on vineyards at higher altitudes. The DOCG regulations stipulate that Taurasi wines must be aged a minimum of 3 years prior to release with at least 1 year maturing in wood.  Riserva wines require at least 4 years ageing. The wine blend consists primarily of Aglianico, complemented with up to 15% of Barbera, the little-known but very promising Piedirosso and Sangiovese.

Taurasi is considered as the most ageworthy, complex and structured expression of Aglianico wines.

Find out more
Aglianico

Aglianico

Aglianico's origins are Greek (the name is a dialect version of the word Ellenico, the Italian word for Hellenic) and its was originally planted in the Campania and Basilicata regions of southern Italy over 2,500 years ago when southern Italy was a Greek colony known as Magna Graecia or Oenotria.

The grapes thrived until the late 19th century when it was almost destroyed by phylloxera. Since the war plantings have gradually increased and there were about 13,000 ha/32,000 acres of Aglianico planted at the last official count, in 1990.

The grape seems to prefer soils of volcanic origin, as well as dry and sunny location, and achieves its finest results in the two DOCs of Taurasi in Campania and Aglianico del Vulture in Basilicata. It is an early budding, late ripening variety and in the right hands can produce very long-lived wines of intensity and finesse. In the past young Aglianico wines were often fiercely tannic and harsh - fortunately improved techniques in both the vineyard and winery have led to fresher and riper wine being made that are eminently approachable in youth but also still improve with bottle age.

Find out more