Wow! Great terroir meets great vigneron. This is a complex wine which showed different facets with oysters, St.Pierre fish and Stilton cheese. Expressive nose and medium+ bodied palate showing citrus fruit and salty minerals on entry, adding round underlying gras on mid palate and finishing long with a creamy caramel note. This last element palled slightly towards the end of the bottle (but was effaced by the Stilton) and I think that the flavour strands could be better integrated. More time will probably correct both these aspects and then justify an even higher accolade. Very good.
2001 Feudi di San Gregorio Aglianico del Vulture Efesto - Italy, Basilicata, Aglianico del Vulture (1/1/2016)
This wine has a strong family resemblance to a recent Taurasi '00, also from FSG, and, judging by my TN, to Serpico '00. Part of this comes from Aglianico, their common grape variety, but more comes, I think, from a homogenising élevage of big oak. That said, this has become a very imposing and attractive wine in its 15th year. Colour was deep opaque crimson. The palate was broodingly powerful with full body, deep and dark fruit, decent acidity together with opulent notes of roses and ripe blackberry and hints of tar and old books which had already been apparent on the nose; the whole was encased in the sweet wood patina which had become more discreet than I noted in a bottle 5 years ago and in firm dark but not drying tannins which gave a balancing austerity to the opulent aromas. I long to try a mature Vulture from a producer using a less intrusive élevage technique. Excellent pairing for deer fillet in a port based sauce and very good wine, though.
Posted from CellarTracker
And the question? Can anyone point me in the direction of a good producer of Aglianico del Vulture, and indeed Taurasi, who has a light touch with new oak or even none at all? I have twice tasted the range of Cantina del Notaio and they are certainly more approachable in their youth than FSG's but still show an oaky patina.