Campania

Redimore is 100% Aglianco from one of Mastroberardino’s vineyards just outside the famous Campanian town of Taurasi. The wine spends 12 months in French oak barriques to round out the intense structure Aglianico can have. This is a savoury wine, intense in colour and with notes of dark cherry, wild herbs, rose and spice on the nose. The palate is rich and earthy – with blackcurrant fruit, balsam and anise. The fine grippy tannins are countered by refreshing acidity. Try with porchetta, wild boar ragù or richly flavoured wild mushroom dishes.
Matt Smith, Buyer (spring 2019)

The 2017 Greco di Tufo NovaSerra exhibits full and generous fruit spread over a crisp, lean mouthfeel. The wine is generous in terms of bouquet, with fragrant tones of citrus, pear, white peach and crushed seashell. It is lean in texture, but it does award lengthy freshness and a tight, silky finish.
Monica Larner, The Wine Advocate (winter 2018) 

A giant of a wine, and aptly named, this mythical Taurasi was hand-made in tiny quantities by Luigi Tecce from his tiny five-hectare family estate in the village of Paternopoli, above the Calore river that shapes the Taurasi zone, at an altitude of 550 metres.

The 2012 is particularly impressive thanks to the hot Scirocco that blew, naturally concentrating the berries; the harvest taking place a bit earlier, between 7th October and 3rd November. The skins were thicker than normal, allowing Luigi to extend the maceration to an eye-watering 60 days. Despite the evident “matter”, Luigi has captured the pacey, redcurrant energy of the wine; it’s rich with full berries, wellstructured but alive with an almost raspberry essence to allow a long development in bottle.
Drink 2020-2030.

Galardi emerged as a star wine property in Campania over the past decade. The region’s volcanic soils yield wines of impressive elegance and personality, as demonstrated through an array of compelling indigenous varieties. Terra di Lavoro, the estate’s flagship wine, has risen to become one of Italy’s cult wines, and with good reason. It showcases the qualities of two ancient varieties (Aglianico and Piedirosso) and the volcanic soils on which they are grown. The two grapes combine to imbue the wine with concentration, compelling complexity and length.

Produced from Aglianico and Piedirosso (an ancient variety from Campania that –when treated with care – gives good body, soft tannins and gentle minerality), Galardi’s top offering is no shrinking violet, but combines its power with fine definition and poise that has elevated this hidden gem to cult status.

Due to the mild weather conditions, and rain during September and October, Luigi had to work hard in the vineyards; thankfully his old vines were left unfazed by the humidity. Ironically, this has treated us to more of a Piedmontese Taurasi. For the colour is paler than normal, while the nose remains delicate, intricate, mentholated; the palate energetic with great raspberry tension and zip. It even has something of Serralunga (Barolo) about it… but with an even sunnier side. Made from only Paternopoli, old vine fruit, macerated/punched down for 40 days in large open chestnuts tubs, followed by 12 months tonneaux, and 12 months botte grande.
David Berry Green

From a great Italian vintage, this wine is now beginning to hit its stride after 30 months in barrel and a further six years in bottle. A remarkable bouquet of fresh leather, spice, black fruit and flowers is the opening salvo. It is just stunning on the palate; rich, full-bodied, fine and savoury with velvety tannins and perfectly-judged acidity. This is really lovely with a long, satisfying finish; drinking very well now, but no hurry to drink it up. 

Mastroberardino is the family-based firm that is universally acknowledged to have been the most important guardian of the vinous heritage of Campania. The winery has always been focused on honing the virtues of Campania’s traditional grape varieties: paying close attention to planting varieties on appropriate soils; using the right type of vine training and trellising; and adopting winemaking methods that maximize the grapes’ varietal character, rather than techniques that bury it under oak and overt fruitiness. The Mastroberardino family has always sought out and resuscitated native varietals that history, phylloxera and World War II had diminished. When most farmers were ripping out their local vines in favour of high-yielding Sangiovese or Merlot, Antonio Mastroberardino, Piero’s father, remained committed to the local grapes; and his gradual success, convinced some to stick with indigenous vines. Still, until the early 1990s Mastroberardino was the only winery in Irpinia growing indigenous vines and producing quality wine.