Italian Pick of The Week 11/26/07
Submitted by THE WINE SCHOOL OF PHILADELPHIA
Filed Under The Wine World
Mastroberardino Aglianico Passito “Antheres”, NV, Irpinia IGT, Campania
With the holidays upon us thoughts turn to sumptuous meals and the bounty of late autumn as it folds into winter..and wines to enjoy as an accompaniment to antipasti, entrees, and, of course, dessert. Italy is renowned for its array of dessert wines and post dinner liquori anddigestivi, ranging from mildly sweet to uncompromisingly bitter.
The dean of Campania’s producers, Mastroberardino, offers this late harvest liquoroso that was dried on straw mats known as graticci for months before being fortified with distillates of three year old wine. The result is an alcoholic blast of warmth and the textures of a young port.
The nose opens to the typical Taurasi mix of bitter cherries and woodsy fruits, dark and earthy. In the mouth the firm body you’d associate with Aglianico serves as the foundation for the developing flavors of dark cherries, raspberries, and rounded notes of prune and raisins. The sensation created is of balance, depth, and a passito sweetness that complements rather than overwhelms.
This is a wine to savor on its own or with dry pastries, perhaps a Sienese panforte or a plate of biscotti. A wine to warm the soul. Go ahead, indulge yourself, you’ve earned it.
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