100% Aglianico Radici, produced for the first time in 1986, is the result of a long and careful research concerning exposure, chemical and physical characteristics of the vineyards’ terroir. Its strong, dense structure and the aromatic concentration are the most evident characters of this prestigious interpreter of Irpinian viticulture.
The various members of the Mastroberardino family, who have taken place at the head of the company have had in common one firm and basic value, which has informed their choices whilst shaping and giving meaning to their history.
This value is the one of loyalty towards one's homeland and origins, and towards one's natural and social environment, as a means of safeguarding a cultural identity.
The family's coherence regarding this paradigm has been rigorous.
This has led them to carry out a role as pioneers in the pure defence and valorization of viticulture and native grapes such as Fiano, Greco and Aglianico, till reaching a new slant: these varieties, which in the last century existed only in a few isolated strongholds, have gained so much recognition that they have been exported and planted in new and different geographical contexts.
Interview Piero Mastroberardino Interview Piero Mastraberardino |
Aglianico and Piedirosso are the two key red wine grapes of Campania in southern Italy. They are used to great effect individually there, in wines such as Aglianico del Vulture and Capri Rosso. The varietal Sant'Agata dei Goti wines made from these two grapes showcase what they are capable of in the cooler terroirs of the Campania's hilly north. Sant'Agata also provides a platform for the two varieties to work together, in its rosso and rosato wines – the most salient use of an Aglianico - Piedirosso blend.
Twenty miles (30km) south of Sant'Agata the slopes of Mount Vesuvius offer a prime example of the two varieties working well together, specifically in the Lacryma Christi wines of the Vesuvio DOC. Here the red wines are weighted in favor of Piedirosso, but leave a vital role open to Aglianico.
Who | Score |
Start |
End |
Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Alison Napjus Wine Spectator Apr 2019 |
92/100 | 2019 | 2030 | Expressive and harmonious, this medium- to full-bodied red seamlessly knits refined tannins with a profile of pure black cherry, fig cake and woodsy spice. Accents of fragrant leather, herb and tangy mineral echo on the finish. Drink through 2030. |
Monica Larner Wine Advocate Dec 2018 |
93/100 | 2019 | 2035 | The 2012 Taurasi Riserva Radici seemingly grabs all the sunshine and warmth of this vintage and stuffs it into this bottle. This is a bold and thickly textured wine that offers rich extract and dark fruit intensity. The bouquet reveals pressed blackberry, rose petal, tar, licorice and spice. Those aromas come from the ripe fruit achieved in this growing season, but you also get a lot of oak layering with toast, cinnamon and shaved nutmeg. Those oak notes will probably never fully integrate, given that they appear now, some six years after the vintage. |
Kerin O’Keefe Wine Enthusiast Dec 2018 |
95/100 | 2022 | 2032 | Underbrush, charred earth, spiced plum, tobacco and star anise are just some of the aromas you'll find on this delicious red. It's enveloping yet structured, delivering dried black cherry, licorice and cocoa set against a backbone of velvety tannins. Hold for even more complexity. Drink 2022–2032. |
Ian D'Agata www.vinous.com Nov 2018 |
91/100 | 2020 | 2030 | Deep ruby-red. Perfumed nose of rose, violet, red currant, tobacco and minerals. Very juicy and light on its feet, offering refined flavors of blueberry nectar, botanical herbs and crushed stones. Long and elegant on the finish; a slight touch of oak emerges on the long back end. Lovely wine. |