1 Aglianico

It's tough to brush up on a grape variety when you scour and have a difficult time coming up with more than a few examples. Lucky to have a cellar and a 10-year old example of a bottle I had written off earlier only to find it has blossomed beautifully. This time, the Villa Matilde, Falerno del Massico 'vigna Camarato, 1998 showed earthy tobacco leaf and redwood shingle on the nose, along with a brooding depth. Bone dry in the glass, with hawthorn fruit and fresh tobacco leaf with still throat-grabbing tannins that have a tight-fisted quality that proclaim they'll be around a while. Give this more time, if you have the bottle and the patience. Excellent (A-)

I've never had one of these where the tannins fully resolved. Everyone single of them up to about 14 yrs were extremely tannic. I don't know, maybe they need 20 + years. Or maybe its just the way the varietal is. I don't care, I love these dry, tannic monsters. Perfect with a big steak or bowl of beef stew.

Richard

Mark--

Had this very wine a month and half ago, a bottle I hand-carried back from the winery. I enjoyed it, for sure, but my experience wasn't as positive yours. Rich and deep, but I think where you got tobacco leaf, I got chocolate-y oak, with modest tannins. This was on an afternoon with lots of good food and good bottles (Duca Salaparuta showed especially well), so lots of variables at work, but all I could think was "that darn Cotarella!"