Tasted at Radici: Carbone Vini

Carbone Vini is a small winery in the upper part of the Vulture appellation. They planted their vineyards in the 70s, but were forced to stop making wines in the 80s due to a series of difficulties suffered by the elder generation, and simply sold the grapes.

A situation of this kind cannot continue indefinitely, and Sara and her brothers found themselves faced with the choice of selling everything or making the wines themselves when grape sales stopped being profitable. They chose the latter course, leaving jobs in different sectors to tend their vineyards and make wines.

The vineyards are planted on volcanic soils, and since they knew the quality of the grapes they had been selling, they knew they would be able to make the wines they had in mind. Their first vintage was 2005.

Carbone Vini Fiano basilicata IGT 2010

They had other varietals but replanted to Fiano in the late 80s; the vineyards also have a little Falanghina. Brassy white with brilliant brassy reflections. The bouquet is fairly bright, with vegetal notes and spice mingled with some herbal accents and a spicy underpinning. Not as rich as some Fiano, but this is a combination of vintage and likely terroir. On the palate it's consdìderably richer than one might have guessed given the nose, with lively lemony fruit supported by languid lemony acidity and slight greenish mineral accents, which flow into a clean lemony finish with mineral underpinning. The palate is graceful, and by now the nose will have caught up with it; I would expect it to age nicely for another 3-5 years.
2 stars

Carbone Vini Terra dei Fuochi Aglianico del Vulture DOC 2009

This is their base wine, which only sees steel, and the label also breaks with their others, because it's a day-to-day wine. Deep cherry ruby with cherry rim. The bouquet is bright, with berry fruit and some underbrush mingled with brambly acidity and some greenish spice. Nice in a zesty key. On the palate it's fresh, fairly rich, and direct, with cherry fruit supported by smooth tannins and warmth that flow into a clean fresh slightly greenish finish. Bright, up front, and quite on target; it will be a nice day-to-day wine whose only defect will be that it goes too quickly, requiring you to set out a second bottle.
2 stars

Carbone Vini 400 Some Aglianico del Vulture 2007

A soma is the load carried by a mule. Carlo d'Angiò's wife owned the Castle of Melfi, and he liked the wines, so he ordered 400 some for the royal cellars. Lively black almandine with black reflections and almandine rim. The bouquet is fresh, with sour berry fruit laced with greenish accents and underbrush, and some sassy peppery accents. Quite fresh, with lively acidity that confers zest, and quite inviting. On the palate it's bright, with zesty sour cherry fruit supported by peppery spice and moderately intense acidity, while the tannins are peppery and flow into a long peppery finish. It's still quite young, and will profit considerably from another year or more in bottle. It will be worth waiting for.
2 stars

Carbone Vini Stupor Mundi Aglianico del Vuture 2007
This is from their oldest vineyards, and is partially aged in new wood. Deep black almandine with black reflections. The bouquet is powerful, with vegetal notes and sour berry fruit supported by considerable underbrush, some sea salt, and some cedar with a warm spicy balsamic underpinning. On the palate it's full, bright, and very young, with sour berry fruit supported by zesty greenish acidity and by tannins that have a splintery greenish burr and flow into a fairly bright bitter tannic finish that's quite dry. It has considerable potential but isn't ready for polite society yet -- needs another 3-4 years to smooth, come together, and become a Different Person. Who will be worth waiting for.
2 stars, now.

The photo is lifted from their site.

Tasted at Radici: Azienda Agricola Taurino

I was introduced to Taurino in the course of a presentation during a trip organized by Radici a couple of years ago, and was quite impressed. There were a number of winemakers there that evening, so the folks from Taurino just brought two wines, but still.This year they brought everything to the Radici tasting at Masseria Le Fabbriche, and when I finished tasting, I would have been quite happy to linger at the table sipping and chatting.

Azienda Agricola Taurino I Sierri Salento IGT Bianco 2010

This is Chardonnay fermented in steel; it's gold with brassy reflections and has a fairly rich bouquet with some tropical fruit supported by lemony accents and some vegetal notes; the impression is deft and lively. On the palate it's bright, with lively citric fruit supported by minerality and warm mineral acidity that flows into a very mineral finish with some lemony acidity. A pleasantly deft, eminently drinkable wine that will work well as an aperitif or with fish. Expect it to go quickly.
2 stars

Azienda Agricola Taurino Scaloti Salento Rosato 2010

This wine spent 5 hours on the skins before being racked off; it's a pretty pale pink with brilliant reflections and white rim. The bouquet reveals raspberry fruit and some berry fruit acidity; quite fresh. On the palate it's fresh and delicate, with pleasant wild strawberry and raspberry fruit supported by bright raspberry acidity and some minerality, and flows into a clean bright fairly mineral finish. Quite pleasant, especially on the palate, and will work well with lighter dishes, picnic foods, and also lighter risotti.
2 stars

Azienda Agricola Taurino Salice Salentino DOP Riserva 2008

This is primarily Negroamaro with a little Malvasia Nera, and is deep black almandine with almandine rim and black reflections. The bouquet is fresh, with balsamic berry fruit supported by warmth and minerality, displaying nice depth, elegance and freshness. On the palate it's full and rich with powerful balsam-laced berry fruit supported by smooth sweet balsamic tannins and fair warmth, coupled with spice, and flows into a long balsam-laced finish. Pleasant and will work well with succulent roasts, especially richer dishes that beg something to clear the palate between bites.
2 stars

Azienda Agricola Taurino Notarpanaro Salento IGP Rosso 2004

This is a vineyard wine from a very rocky vineyard that yields fresher wines. It's deep black almandine with black reflections, and has a fairly intense bouquet with warm berry fruit laced with balsam and greenish vegetal -- almost grassy -- accents and some sea salt. Def in a key that manages to be both warm and brooding. On the palate it's full, fresh, and quite smooth, with powerful cherry fruit supported by bright berry fruit acidity and by tannins that are quite smooth and languid, and flow into a clean bright finish. Graceful, and will drink very well with red meats off the grill or roasted now, and will laos age well for another 5-8 years at least.
90-91

Azienda Agricola Taurino 7° Ceppo Salento IGP

This is a Primitivo, made with grapes bought in Sava; it's bottled as a Salento because the new rules governing Manduria are stricter about where the wine can be made. It's lively ruby with bright reflections and some almandine in the rim. The bouquet is fairly intense, with berry fruit supported by balsamic notes and spice, and some leaf tobacco and green leather. Nice depth, and as it opens pleasing savory sweet accents also emerge. On the palate it's full and rich with fairly intense plum fruit supported by smooth sweet tannins that have a slight sandalwood burr and by considerable warmth that flow into a long pleasant finish. There's quite a bit of alcohol, which presents as warmth on the palate and a cool sensation on the lips, but it's quite well integrated, and the wine is approachable and will work very well with hearty foods, especially stews that have some sweeter components.
88-90

Azienda Agricola Taurino A64 Salento IGT Rosso 2004

This a blend of 85% Negroamaro and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, and spent a year in barriques, followed by several months in steel, and was released in 2009. Deep almandine with almandine rim. The bouquet is fairly intense, with berry fruit and some balsamic notes mingled with cedar and slight vegetal accents, with slight sweetness that is from the ripeness of the grapes. On the palate it's full, with bright sour berry fruit supported by considerable warmth and dusky cedar laced tannins that flow into a long warm berry fruit finish. It's quite elegant, and approachable, but somehow lacks (for me) the excitement of the Notarpanaro -- the Cabernet contributes, doing so very well, but adds a degree of, shall we say, international uniformity, adding elements that someone not used to Negroamaro might recognize and appreciate. But I find it less distinctive.
2 stars

Azienda Agricola Taurino Patriglione Salento IGT Rosso 2006

This is a Negroamaro from 40-50 year-old vines whose grapes are left to dry until October before harvesting; it's made only in the best vintages, and the last vintage prior to this was the 03. Impenetrable ruby. The bouquet is powerful, with spicy fruit and some jammy accents mingled with cedar, licorice root and mace, with warmth and somf graphite too. A great lot going on, and terrific depth. On the palate it's full, and rich, with powerful sour berry fruit supported by greenish grassy accents and bright acidity, while the tannins are smooth and sweet, with a slight vegetal underpinning, and flow into a very long warm sour berry fruit finish. Impressive depth and elegance; it's a wine one could swish and sniff for hours, discovering facet after facet (cedar, sandalwood, leather, black pepper…). The acidity is pronounced enough that you won't want to meditate over it unless you're a great fan of acidity: rather, it's a fine food wine for a meal built around a substantial cut of meat, say roast leg of lamb or a crown roast.
91-2

Azienda Agricola Taurino Le Ricordanze Salento Passito IGT 2007

This is a blend of Riesling and Semillon harvested in August. Brilliant gold with lemony gold reflections. The bouquet is intense, with sweetness, some petroleum, honey, dried fruit, and underlying petroleum-laced minerality. Nice depth. On the palate it's full and sweet, with deft loquat and lemon fruit supported by slight hazelnut bitterness and some acidity, while savory notes emerge to accompany the sweetness in the finish. Interesting, and will work well with cheeses or on its own, and unlike some passiti is not cloying.
2 stars

Tasted at Radici: Macchiarola

The nicest thing about Radici is the variety of wineries participating: Some established names, and others that are very, very new.

Macchiarola falls into the latter category; The estate belongs to a family that has a Masseria, or farm complex, with 6 hecates of Primitivo, planted in 2005 a spalliera, which is a trellis system. The first vintage was 2007, and in 2010 they began to make Negroamaro, using the grapes from a vineyard that belongs to a neighbor.

The didn't filter the 2007 and 2008 vintages at all, but now clarify and filter lightly to increase stability.

Macchiarola Negroamaro 2010
Tank sample
Deep ruby. The nose is spicy and rather exotic, with savory notes and berry fruit mingled with some sweaty blonde and some sea salt. Not bad for a first attempt! On the palate it's quite bright, with lively sour berry fruit supported by lively acidity and fairly bright tannins that flow into a fairly warm finish. A fine food wine that will be perfect at a cookout or with grilled meats. Freshness in a glass.

Macchiarola Primitivo di Manduria DOC 2009
This was a different vintage, with high acidity that they compensated for by allowing the grapes to ripen further (and going through the vineyard to eliminate imperfect buches); they did obtain balance, but with 16% alcohol. It's in steel because they are still evaluating the vineyard. Deep pigeon blood ruby with brick rim. The bouquet is powerful and sweet, with savory notes and plum berry fruit mingled with sea salt, quite a bit of spice, and scalded milk. On the palate it's moderately rich, with plum prune fruit supported by some sweetness nicely balanced by savory accents and dried prune, and by tannins that have some warmth to them. The vineyard is still quite young and as a result the wine, though promising, lacks the depth future vintages will have. In short, a wine to keep an eye out for in future vintages.

Tasted at Radici: Colle San Domenico

This year Radici began with two days during which the wine makers poured their wines for us. A very interesting experience, which left me with a great many notes that I am now working through.

Colle San Domenico was established in 1998 in Chiusano San Domenico (province of Aellino), in the heart of Irpinia. They have 15 hectares of vineyards planted to both red and white varietals, and though most of the vineyards are 10-15 years old, the vineyard that yields Aglucus Campi Taurasini DOC is on native root stock and much older.

The wines:

Colle San Domenico Fiano di Avellino DOCG 2010
This underwent cryomaceration prior to fermentation, and is pale brassy yellow, with a fairly rich bouquet opening with citric spice and some loquat supported by slight banana, which is derived from the yeasts, and underlying minerality. On the palate it's bright, with loquat pineapple fruit supported by bright acidity that has tropical fruit overtones, and slight tannins (from grape) that have a slight greenish burr. Quite pleasant and will drink very well with fish or white meats.
2 stars

Colle San Domenico Greco di Tufo DOCG 2010
This is from a vineyard at an altitude of 600 meters. Brassy white with greenish reflections. The bouquet is fairly rich, with hops and savory notes mingled with citrus and supported by savory minerality that brings freshly crushed granite to mind. On the palate it's pleasant and quite savory, with bright citric acidity that flows into a long savory finish. Graceful,a nd will be quite nice with egg-based dishes, for example quiche.
88-90

Colle San Domenico Aglucus Campi Taurasini DOC 2006
Aglucus is, I was told, the Greek name for Aglianico, and indicates without sugar, i.e. bitter -- a vine yielding wines with tannins that would age. The wine is from an old vineyard planted on native root stock that that doesn't yield wines in all years. It was aged for a year in casks, and then 3 months in small wood, and is unfiltered. It's elegant ruby, and has a powerful bouquet with bright berry fruit supported by balsamic notes, mint, spice, and some chocolate-laced cedar. Young. On the palate it's graceful, though still out of sorts, with sour balsam-laced berry fruit supported by balsamic tannins that I found a touch dry, and flow into a long savory finish. It is drinkable, and will indeed work well with roasts, but will also improve markedly with time.
2 stars

Colle San Domenico Taurasi Riserva 2005
This ages for three years in a mixture of small, medium, and large casks, then a year on the lees in steel, and a year in bottle. It's deep cherry ruby and has a spicy bouquet with berry fruit and balsamic notes mingled with menthol and savory accents; it's more powerful than the Aglucus but displays less finesse. On the palate it's full, and rather linear, with smooth sour berry fruit supported by savory notes and some acidity, with smooth tannins that have some balsamic cedar accents. Nice depth and elegance, and a good expression of a wetter vintage that will work well with hearty red meats.
2 stars