ONE OF the most fascinating parts of Itailan winemaking is trying to understand where grapes are able to grow. For the most part, vineyards in Italy can be divided into two large categories: the “classics,” or vineyards located on rolling hills (like those of the Langa, Chianti, or Valpolicella), and the “extremes,” or those where the vines have, for centuries, fought against nature to survive. There are even places (many of which have been touched upon in this book) that we can define as “miraculous,” like the Cinque Terre, Valtellina, Valle d’Aosta, and Etna. There are few areas, however, that are as beautiful, and at the same time as difficult to cultivate, as the Amalfi coast.
An idyllic corner of Italy, the Amalfi coast can be reached either by boat or by the narrow, curvy road that links the Amalfi cathedral to the colorful hillside of Positiano, where the views of Capri are certain to seduce any tourist passing through. Ravello, a tiny little town poised on the summit of the hill leading down to the coast, is one of the many gems hidden along the coast. Half the population of Ravello is made up of Americans who have fallen in love with the city and its famous villas. Wagner found his inspiration to write Parsifal here in Ravello, and Greta Garbo looked longingly out at the sea from the famous terrace of Villa Cimbrone. Even President John F. Kennedy spent time in this enchanting town.
As is true of most of Italy’s most picturesque villages, Ravello was originally home to a community of farmers. The little orchards and fields planted along the coast have been responsible for the survival of many types of native fruit and vegetable varieties. The community cultivated and produced what it needed to survive, for the steep and curvy roads leading to Ravello discouraged any commercial traffic. Your average Amalfi coast farmer must have had a mighty will and great skill to find and cultivate the fertile areas of an otherwise rock-solid terrain. The land had to be tilled, terraced, and practically turned upside down before becoming the beautiful garden that it is today. Most of the land is still covered in fruit trees (especially the famous lemons of Sorrento used to make Limoncello), but more and more vineyards have been planted alongside the almond and walnut trees, the branches of which were once used to support the vines. At a later time, poles were used in the place of the tree branches, and later still, the poles were replaced by pergolas made of chestnut stakes. Monoculture has never been a major risk here on the Amalfi coast, because the grapes literally hang over the vegetable beds, suspended by these stakes. In fact, wine was the only good to be sold at market; the farmers consumed the rest of the harvest.
This was more, or less, the situation that Marisa Cuomo and Andrea Ferraioli encountered in 1980 when they created Cantine Gran Furor Divina Costiera. The challenge facing these two crazy young winemakers was to build a successful winery focused on quality and not just the praiseworthy defense of the old ways. The Amalfi coast was a jewel box of native grape varieties, with which Marisa and Andrea created their own distinctive style. In 1995, the Amalfi Coast DOC, an appellation that includes wines exclusively from the microzones of Furore, Ravello, and Tramonti, recognized the hard work at Gran Furor. Since then, the legendary Fiorduva has become a symbol of this unique, miraculous coastline.
The Amalfi Coast is the long strip of land and rock that extends out into the Tyrrhenian Sea from just south of Napoli and the basin of Mount Vesuvius. Castellammare di Stabia and Salerno are considered to be the main cities at the start and finish of the coastline, while the most panoramic part of the stretch is believed to begin in Sorrento and end in Amalfi—31 miles of hairpin curves along the Lattari mountain roads, overlooking the water. Sant’Agata sui Due Golfi, home to the famous restaurant Don Alfonso, is located halfway along the winding road. Frequent landslides cause the road to be closed from time to time and force both locals and tourists to adapt to nature’s whims. The coastline is a unique and difficult environment, and companies like Gran Furor play an important role in its maintenance. Cuomo and Ferraioli tend 25 acres of vineyard in the comune of Furore, 9 acres of which they own and the remainder of which they rent. The winery’s vineyard is at 1,600 feet above sea level and has an incredible view. The soil is made up of rocks and hard, friable limestone. The grapes are trained with arbors and often climb into the vertical, rocky walls. Fenile, ginestra, ripoli, and tintore are some of the rare grape varieties that grow here and that are cultivated by Marisa and Andrea, together with the great Italian enologist Luigi Moio.
Of the many wines produced at Cantine Gran Furor Divina Costiera, Costa d’Amalfi Furore Bianco Fiorduva is certainly the most renowned. For the past few years, it has been placed at the top of many wine rankings. The wine is made from a blend of native grape varietals—fenile (30 percent), ginestra (30 percent), and ripoli (40 percent)—grown on neighboring vineyards on terraces located 660 to 1,800 feet above the sea, with excellent southern exposure. The soil is composed of rocky, dolomitic limestone, and the vines are vertically trellised using the pergola system. The vineyard density is between 2,000 and 2,800 plants per acre. Chemicals for disease prevention are not needed because of the extreme growing conditions, which act as a natural defense. The average yield is around 5,300 pounds per acre (about 3 pounds per plant), and the harvest occurs in the third week in October, fairly late in the season. The grapes are brought to the winery, slightly underripe, and are softly pressed. The must is fermented in barriques at 54 degrees Fahrenheit with naturally occurring yeasts for about three months.
The result is a rich, yellow-colored wine with golden tones. On the nose, apricot, broom flower, dried fig, and candied fruit prevail. In the mouth, the wine is soft, juicy, and perfectly balanced between sweetness and acidity. It has a long, aromatic finish that comes full circle to the initial fruity notes.
COLLI DI LAPIO has only just come to light in the past decade. Angelo and Clelia Romano are winemakers who own 15 acres in Irpinia, an area that until recently was renowned for producing opulent, full-bodied reds made from aglianico. Not that Irpinia—at the center of the region of Campania—was unknown to wine lovers: Names such as Feudi di San Gregorio and Mastroberardino have done much in the last twenty years to affirm its reputation to even international markets. But that reputation has been, as noted, predominantly one for reds. Colli di Lapio, however, is a game changer, as it demonstrates that Irpinia can produce impressive white wines. The secret was actually held within a grape that had been cultivated in the area at least ever since the Romans had written admiringly of its virtues: fiano.
Originating with all likelihood in Irpinia (and some say it may have even come from the diminutive comune of Lapio), for decades the grape was neglected, considered good enough for the winemaker to drink himself or for direct local sale. But in the 1990s, it dawned on producers that the fiano grape, if carefully cultivated and vinified with the help of modern technology (which is indispensable for giving life to great white wines), can produce wine with impressive strength and extraordinary aging ability. At the same time, producers were researching and experimenting with the other white grape from this region, greco di tufo. With both grape varieties, they achieved results unheard of just a short time ago: mineral wines of fantastic drinkability, both elegant and able to evolve with time. Most surprising, from a socioeconomic and perhaps also a cultural point of view, is that the wineries most welcoming of these qualities were the small—if not the smallest—ones, rather than the largest. The most significant fiano- and greco-based wines you’re likely to taste today are certainly those produced by the tiny wineries sunk into the cold and slightly wild areas of Irpinia.
The addition of Fiano di Avellino and Greco di Tufo to the pantheon of Italian whites has been remarkable. The borderline for great whites has been moved a little south, into that area that the collective imagination considers hot, sunny, and Mediterranean—that is, a climate more suited to producing structured, heavy reds. While the white wine boundary once ended at Trebbiano, in Abruzzo (the rest lay farther north, with Soave in Veneto, the “Superwhites” of Friuli, Verdicchio in Marche), there’s now a white-wine movement in the south, with growing production of spectacular bottles, each more compelling than the last. Though currently only a few of the 30,000 bottles of Fiano di Avellino produced by Colli di Lapio reach the United States, this is just the beginning. The wine will soon find a deserved market following.
In 2003, the Italian legislature instituted the DOCG for Fiano di Avellino. The defined area lies in Campania on the shoulders of Vesuvius, an inland region with a severe climate, dotted with many small hamlets boasting a strong tradition of agriculture. Only recently has high-quality winemaking gained traction here. The soil is primarily composed of volcanic rock, and along with the particular microclimate and the intrinsic characteristics of the vines, the region is capable of giving the wine pronounced freshness and minerality. Lapio in particular is a kind of unique grand cru for Fiano. Names such as Stazzone, Scarpone, and Arianello are not yet known, but you will do well to take note of them: They’re the vineyards from which Colli di Lapio obtains the grapes for its best white.
Colli di Lapio’s Fiano di Avellino comes from the aforementioned vineyards within the comune of Lapio. The altitude is about 1,600 feet above sea level, and the predominantly south and southwest exposure is very good. The production protocol of the DOCG allows for other varietals, especially greco di tufo, to a maximum of 15 percent of the total. However, the best producers, notably Angelo and Clelia Romano, have opted to make wine solely from fiano to best express the potential of this varietal. The very first bottlings were notable for their extraordinary fragrance, but they always lacked the body and length to make the wine memorable. Now that those aspects have been addressed, we have a masterpiece.
Fiano di Avellino is straw yellow with notes of musk, stone, grapefruit, candied fruit, pine, and an interesting lingering smokiness. It offers striking finesse, combined with the acidity that is typical of whites from the far north and also typical of the grape, and it is round, soft, and fascinating. The finish is never-ending and recalls the wine’s whole olfactory range. Fantastic for drinking right away, this wine is still better with some age—five, or even ten, years. Colli di Lapio’s Fiano di Avellino is a milestone in the new frontiers of Italian winemaking.
LOCATED IN the heart of Campania, in a age-old winemaking area, Feudi di San Gregorio has been able to produce top-quality wines and a successful brand in just two short decades. The company is known as a beacon for southern Italian wines and has conquered the international markets with ease.
The best way to start telling the history of the winery is simple: Irpinia, 1986. Irpinia is a remote region in central Campania. It is mountainous, difficult to reach, cold, and dotted with small villages hanging on the sides of valleys. Not exactly the sun-soaked coastline one normally associates with southern Italy. In addition to isolation and daily challenges, the people of Irpinia have suffered from considerable disaster. At 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, November 23, 1980, the earth began to shake and continued shaking for ninety long seconds, destroying entire towns, turning lives upside down, and devastating the economy of about 40 square miles. The earthquake caused almost 3,000 deaths and left 300,000 people without homes. Irpinia was the epicenter of the quake and remained in a state of shock, like a punch-drunk boxer, for years.
In 1986, a regional law was established governing new entrepreneurial activity in southern Italy, in the hope of encouraging young people to rebuild. The Capaldo family saw this as an opportunity for redemption. Although they had to build their winery from scratch, they decided to give it an ancient and resonant name: Feudi di San Gregorio. (Granted, the first grapevines they purchased were once owned by the church during the time of Pope Gregory I.) The debut of the Capaldo family on the Italian winemaking scene did not go unnoticed: Their notable business and financial sense—particularly that of Pellegrino Capaldo, a banker and important figure on the national level—helped the winery to grow. By aligning the land, production methods, and communication, the Capaldo family formed a powerful vision for the company. Thanks to innovative advertising campaigns, sophisticated cultural events, an effective marketing strategy, and captivating packaging, the Feudi wines quickly spread across the world, proving that there is more to Campania winemaking than Mastroberardino (see this page). The winery’s success even rivals that of Planeta (see this page). Feudi di San Gregorio built its success by researching native grape varietals and the adaptability of international ones by mapping the best vineyards in the area, by promoting biodiversity and environmental awareness, and by the intentionally modern style of their wines. In addition, many of the top names in winemaking have worked at Feudi: Riccardo Cotarella as a consultant; Enzo Ercolino as a communication and sales director, who was responsible for introducing the wines to the American market; Pierpaolo Sirch, a well-known agronomist and pruner; and Anselme Selosse, the master of Champagne and partner in Feudi’s sparkling wine project. The convergence of this incredible talent has helped Feudi become what it is today: 618 acres of vines and gardens; a portfolio of wines representing southern Italian winemaking; 4 million bottles; a farmhouse/hotel for guests to stay overnight in; and a Michelin-starred restaurant overlooking all of Irpinia. Not bad for so little time. At this pace, who knows what the future might hold?
Irpinia is a land of struggle: between man and nature, between the will of the city’s inhabitants and an arid, at times wild, environment. The coast of Campania is not far away, but a series of hills and winding valleys prevent the Mediterranean breezes from reaching Irpinia. As a result, the winters are harsh, and the summers are pretty mild and fairly long. Grapes have been grown here for centuries. Historically, the grapes were consumed locally rather than exported abroad because of the poor roads and poor transportation network. The land is optimal for grapes: The structure, porousness, and drainage of the volcanic soil is good for the rooting of the plants. The soil also provides important nutrients to the grapes, like potassium and magnesium. Never planted as a monoculture, the grapes in Irpinia do not define or dominate the landscape as in other regions of Italy. Although 250 acres of vineyard were planted for wine production at Feudi di San Gregorio, the Capaldo family is well aware of the importance of the woods, which still cover the valleys and the hills, as well as the value of agricultural diversity. Olives are grown throughout the region to make some of Italy’s best extra virgin olive oil. Feudi is also known to have created a local “cru” culture, producing wines made from grapes from a single vineyard, following the success this philosophy has had in northern Italy.
The first wine produced at Feudi di San Gregorio was not Serpico, but Pàtrimo, a wine made from merlot grapes and which embodied the modernist approach to winemaking that was popular in Italy during the 1990s. Then came the aglianico grape, native to Campania and Basilicata, commonly referred to as the “nebbiolo of the south.” Like nebbiolo, aglianico is harvested last in the season and is long lived and quite austere. Serpico comes from hundred-year-old aglianico vines and is named after the comune where Feudi di San Gregorio is located (rather than after the New York City police officer made famous in Italy by the 1973 Al Pacino film of that name). The altitude of the vineyard is fairly high, at over 1,600 feet, and it has a fairly cool microclimate, even in the warmest months of the year. To keep the grapes from burning, the winery has converted its training method from the cordone speronato to the Guyot system. This is not the only new aspect of this wine. Given the late harvest, between October and November, the fermentation and barrique aging processes have been modified: not in respect to the time—they still ferment and age for twelve to fourteen months and bottle-age for another six—but in relation to the toasting of the wood itself.
To bring out the distinctive side of aglianico, in the past, winemakers aged the grapes in highly toasted new oak. In recent years, Serpico has been only partially aged in new wood, which results in nice notes of cherry, spices, licorice, and chocolate on the nose. In the mouth, the wine is at the same time smooth and powerful, round and edgy, sweet and austere—a true symphony of harmonies and contrasts. Serpico is produced in the tens of thousands of bottles each year and is considered the pearl of the Feudi di San Gregorio porfolio.
THE HISTORY OF Campania as a quality viticultural zone is closely tied to the history of the Mastroberardino family. As far back as I can remember, Mastroberardino family members have been traveling the world to promote the wines of Campania, a winemaking area that was once on the verge of extinction.
When the winery was founded at the end of the nineteenth century, the family had already been involved in the wine trade for more than ten generations. Their mission was clear: plant native grape varieties, and work in the vineyards. The Campania of the Mastroberardino estate is not the sunny seaside resort people tend to associate with the region, but a cold, shady inland zone that is difficult to cultivate and that is threatened by frequent seismic activity. In this area called Irpinia, Mastroberardino established the foundation for the great comeback of an entire region. The winery is in many ways responsible for the popularity of Fiano d’Avellino, Greco di Tufo, and Taurasi, and for the revival of the grapes that make up these wines: fiano, greco, and aglianico, respectively. The fact that these three types of wines have all been awarded DOCG status, the top classification given by the Italian government, and the fact that these wines are known and appreciated abroad, is due to the relentless work of Mastroberardino. In terms of innovation, the company has invested in 870 acres of vineyards located throughout the top areas of production of Campania, a supertechnological cellar, and a forward-thinking marketing strategy.
Today the winery is run by Piero Mastroberardino, a well-respected and charismatic winemaker. The style of his wines has changed dramatically from when he took over. Prior to this regime change, the winery was making extremely traditional wines that did not quite live up to his expectations. They were wines typical of the 1950s, ’60s, and ’70s and were perceived to be outdated and static. Now Mastroberardino wines are a more modern expression of the land, and have been well studied and improved on by technology and artistry. Their vineyards are still planted with native, traditional grape varietals but are now being vinified into better, more precisely constructed wines. The outcome can be measured in the production numbers. The winery produces almost 2.5 million bottles a year while staying true to its roots, to technological progress, and to the needs of the market. Mastroberardino not only produces great wines, but has strengthened the historic and cultural value of an entire region.
Mastroberardino, together with Feudi di San Gregorio (see this page), are the indisputable symbols of winemaking in Irpinia. While Feudi is fairly new, Mastroberardino has been tied to this part of Campania for centuries. Like a large part of the entire Avellino province, located in southeast Campania, Iripinia is the winemaking center of the region. Grapes have grown here since before the Romans arrived and have always represented an important economic reality for the local people. The entire enological architecture of the territory was built on three grape varieties: fiano, greco, and aglianico. These grapes have adapted perfectly to the rigid climate of this mountainous area, which is often bathed in rain and cold air. Local winemakers have revived these grapes to the point of their becoming symbols of rebirth, not just in Irpinia, but in all of Campania. At the beginning of the 1980s, the area suffered from a devastating earthquake that destroyed entire communities and crippled the economy of Avellino. The rebirth of the wine industry took some time, but it has managed quite a comeback. Today Campania places ninth in Italy’s regional ranking by volume of wine produced, accounting for 4 percent of the national total. Mastroberadino and Campania represent the soul of Italy that people around the world love so dearly.
Taurasi is a small center within Irpinia with ancient origins. It is located 1,300 feet above sea level and is home to a Lombard castle built during their occupation of the area. Were it not for the wine produced here, this town of two thousand people would probably have been forgotten by the world. Taurasi is the historical center of wine production in Campania, and its viticultural importance led to the naming of a DOCG denomination. According to the designation guideline, Taurasi must be made with at least 80 percent aglianico, but the best producers tend to make it exclusively with aglianico, as is the case with Mastroberardino’s Radici Riserva. This wine is made from a vineyard in Montemarano 1,600 feet in altitude that faces south. The soil comprises clay and rock. The vineyard is only ten years old, but it is already mature and yields over 5,300 pounds per acre.
Because of the microclimate of Irpinia, the harvest occurs closer in time to that of northern Italian vineyards than to that of southern ones. It is not surprising for harvest to start at the end of October and continue through November. After a long period of maceration, the Taurasi ages in both French oak barriques and large Slavonian oak barrels for no less than thirty months. The result is a complex red wine, with perfumes that recall tobacco, cherry, dark berries, and herbs. In the mouth, the wine is welcoming and elegant, yet austere and modern while remaining faithful to the traditional aglianico-based wines produced in the area. The wine can be drunk after three or four years, but improves with age. Today, Taurasi Radici Riserva is among the best-aging red wine from southern Italy.
THE SMALL TOWN of Taurasi in the province of Avellino, Campania, about 50 miles from Napoli, hides beneath its surface hundreds of tunnels and a maze of cellars. If you walk around the city in heels, you will quickly discover this secret, as you’ll hear the hollow city echo beneath your feet. These cellars are testament to the fact that Taurasi is the heart of a very important, centuries-old winemaking region.
In this region, the aglianico grape reigns supreme. The red wine made from aglianico, produced in the seventeen towns in the mountain community of Terminio Cervialto, is known as Taurasi, named after the capital of the subregion. In 1993, Taurasi became the first denomination in southern Italy to be recognized as a DOCG. This important red wine became the symbol of the enological rebirth of the south, thanks to its complex aromas of fruit and spices, and its power and potential for long aging. Important wineries like Mastroberardino and Feudi di San Gregorio were the first to introduce Taurasi, both the wine and the terroir, to the rest of Italy and the international wine-drinking world. These exemplary wineries caused a number of local farmers to push themselves to become wine producers. This is certainly the case of Salvatore Molettieri and his five children. Given the commercial and critical success of Taurasi around the world, the family decided to produce and bottle its own wine in 1995. In ten short years, Molettieri has become a phenomenon.
Taurasi is nothing like postcard-perfect southern Italian beach towns. There are no palm trees, no sand, no orange groves, or tropical plants here. Taurasi has a cool climate, and the winters can be absolutely frigid. The wine that is made in this subregion is completely different from any other from southern Italy. Vigna Cinque Querce, the vineyard where Molettieri’s grapes are grown, should be considered a cru. The vineyard is located at 2,000 feet above sea level, and the difference in daytime and nighttime temperatures is dramatic, giving the wine complex aromas and a strong personality. The vineyard is located in an area commonly known as Agro di Montemarano, one of the best zones for growing aglianico. The vines are planted on the slopes of the hills leading down to the valley formed by the Calore River. The soil here comprises limestone and clay. Because of the cool temperatures, the harvest occurs very late in the season, usually at the end of October or the beginning of November.
The Molettieri winery is truly a boutique enterprise: Total production rarely exceeds 30,000 bottles. Because of the limited production, Molettieri’s wines are not widely known, yet passionate aficionados are growing in number. The rarity of this wine also has something to do with the fact that Salvatore started to produce wine just about fifteen short years ago, meaning that there are fewer vintages to drink from. The Molettieri family employs the consultation of Attilio Pagli, an experienced and serious consulting enologist who looks after the cellar along with Giovanni. Vigna Cinque Querce is a wine of the vineyard. Little work has to be done in the cellar because the quality of the grapes is top-flight. This wine has very interesting organolectic qualities. It is refined, elegant, and graceful, backed by a powerful, muscular body. The vinification process is both traditional and modern, based on the use of wooden barrels of varying size (both large and small). On the nose, the wine has nuances of blackberry and cherry, as well as aromas of damp soil and graphite, followed by leaves and dried fruit. In the mouth, the wine has ripe tannins, which are pronounced but not aggressive. The tannins give this wine its juiciness and long finish. Vigna Cinque Querce packs a punch, but it is also incredibly smooth—both velvet and silk at the same time.
TERRA DI LAVORO is an extremely evocative area of Italy. Located in Campania, Terra di Lavoro is the part of the region that is closest to the Tyrrhenian Sea. The capital of the subregion is Capua. In Roman times, this area was particularly fertile, a sort of large garden with big, open skies where vegetables and grains grew in abundance. Its inhabitants were rich and envied by the other members of the Roman Empire. In fact, the coat of arms that was given to Terra di Lavoro consists of two cornucopias, a symbol of abundance as well as social and economic welfare. Currently, this symbol is used in the coat of arms of the provinces of Frosinone and Caserta. In the twentieth century, this area experienced a drastic growth in population as a result of the repopulation policies imposed by the Fascist regime—laws created to reclaim the Pontine marshes, a territory located to the north of Terra di Lavoro.
Galardi is a small winery that was started by a partnership between two couples: Dora and Arturo Celentano and Maria Luisa Murena and Francesco Catello. The couples joined forces in 1991 to create what is a model winery. The first vintage dates back to 1993, but the real turning point was in 1994 with the release of Terra di Lavoro, a unique wine strongly tied to the territory that it comes from. Thanks to the gushing reviews and strong sales, we can say without any doubt that it did not take long for this wine to become legendary. A great deal of the credit should be attributed to the winemaker Riccardo Cotarella, who has had a profound influence on the viticulture of southern Italy. This controversial winemaker is accused of having fueled the planting of merlot in vineyards that were once home to indigenous varietals, making for wines that tasted the same all over Italy. Terra di Lavoro rebuts this accusation: It is a wine that is completely original and that has no counterpart in the entire region of Campania. To his credit, Riccardo Cotarella was working in quite a challenging territory and was able to adapt his knowledge to the needs of this terroir. He did not try to mold the wine into a wine to everyone’s liking but instead managed to allow the characteristics of the two native grape varietals, aglianico and piedirosso, to resonate in this wine.
The small Galardi property rests on volcanic soil that gradually slopes toward the sea. Vineyards, olive groves, and chestnut trees cover the slopes of the Roccamonfina volcano, which offer an extraordinary view of the local countryside. Friends get together to harvest the fruits of the earth and to make extra virgin olive oil, in addition to wine. The region is also known for its famous mozzarella di bufala and San Marzano tomatoes, two products that come together in another of the world’s greatest foods: pizza. The Galardi winery is focused on caring for nature and preserving the land. The vines are planted at an altitude of between 1,300 and 1,600 feet above sea level and face the enchanting Gulf of Gaeta.
Terra di Lavoro is a blend of two important and indigenous grape varietals of Campania: aglianico and piedirosso (also known in the local dialect as palummo). Aglianico is quite possibly the most noble grape varietal of southern Italy and is often referred to as the “nebbiolo of the south” because of its similar characteristics of strong tannins, elegance, and great aging potential. Piedirosso, although a less noble variety, is certainly more popular. It also blends very well with aglianico because of its acidity, freshness, and abundance of fruit. From these two varietals, a wine was created with a very distinct personality. When young, Terra di Lavoro is edgy and sometimes underdeveloped, leaving discerning wine tasters stopped in their tracks. But this experience only occurs when the wine is young, like a child throwing a tantrum.
Over time, Terra di Lavoro matures, and both the nose and palate mellow so the wine becomes pleasent to drink while still maintaining its extremely original characteristics. The nose gives off notes of red fruits, sweet spices, leather, and fur with a consistent sense of wet earth and dried leaves. Notes of chocolate and vanilla result from aging the wine for ten months in French barriques—although the process leaves no other traces of wood in the wine. On the palate, the wine is powerful, intense, and full bodied. It is truly an example of the power of the sun in southern Italy. The finish is rich, persistent, and very long. Terra di Lavoro gives us authenticity and power in the glass. It is a wine that will lead the charge of great southern Italian wines.