Photo Courtesy Cantine Lonardo

Taurasi - Smart Cellar Buy
The Value Play In Multi-Decade Wine

Taurasi is the noble red of southern-Italy that represents one of the best buys in cellaring.

Taurasi was widely regarded as the Barolo of southern-Italy by many wine aficionados in the 1950s to 1990s. The comparison still holds today due to the longevity and structure the wines possess. Here the aglianico grape with its firm tannins and concentration yield powerful wines but I would place Taurasi as the hypothetical blend of Barolo and Chateauneuf-du-Pape. The spicy nature of the grape and the volcanic rich soils make Taurasi one of the most unique expressions of red wine in Italy. Rich and powerful fruit is layered amongst spice, tannin, and firm acidity. Taurasi classically needed time in the bottle, decades even before the tannin and acidic nature would resolve into beautiful smooth fruit and savory bouquets.

Today, Taurasi does not require decades of patience but when you do, it is explosive out of the bottle. Modern-day winemaking has brought Taurasi into a realm unto itself once again. Stability and purity are two of the greatest advancements in Taurasi since the 1990s. The understanding of ripeness without being overripe and extracted has had an impact in the region, yielding wines of great fruit depth and decade worthy structure. 

Mastroberardino is not only one of the founding fathers of Taurasi, but one of the region's greatest leaders today in refining Taurasi without losing its traditions and rich history. Cantine Lonardo on the other hand tastes like a property that is just as old as Mastroberardino, yet in fact did not start bottling their own wine until 1998. Made in a “traditional” manner, at Lonardo it is the re-embrace of traditionalism that drives this family who has been farming naturally for generations. The vineyards have some serious age, with a large portion over 80 years old and planted on original rootstock. The result are cellar worthy expressions based on long macerations and firm tannins.

The added bonus, both Mastroberardino and Lonardo are two of the most affordable Taurasi built to age. These are ideal wines for the cellar, if you can resist them!

Cheers,
Jeremy