Mastroberardino Taurasi Riserva 1981 (Campania) - founded 1878
12% Imported by International Vintage Wine, CT
I'm a little out of my league with this wine. It would have been nice to have had an expert sitting with us and giving us the low down on the wine. Honestly, it changed everytime I had a sip so it was difficult to pin down and categorize.
This wine is apparently not for sale anywhere and there doesn't seem to be any tasting notes anywhere either. Vintage charts don't seem to be available either. The owners call 1981 a 4 out of 5 star vintage. They only release Riservas for 4 or 5 star vintages. In those days, they apparrently owned or had access to all or most of the vineyards in Campania...i.e. they were the only winery standing at that point. So the material for this wine was tops. Since then, other wineries have emerged and this one has split.
Again, given the reputation of the 1968 as Italy's greatest wine, why did I end up with this wine?
There was mold/leaked wine under the capsule and the cork was stained all the way down the side. The wine was very dark, escpecially for a wine of this age. A beautiful color.
It had a very poignant nose all three days, rather barolo-like with olive and pomegranite.
The wine was intense on the backend, hard and structured in places. Acidic, alcoholic (at 12%?), with depth, sinewy, cool menthol, coffee, bitter and a bit of a zinger. Very dry, very expressive, tarry nose, and very balanced but intense and eventually smoothing out a little with fruit eventually appearing.
A very intense acid bomb - normally these are too much for me but this adds structure, an intense attack and fruit somewhere buried and I like it alot. It's a wild ride.
On the 2nd day, I smell old leather (for the 1st time ever) and again it has a VERY strong attack of tannin and acid. The wine doesn't seem to require fruit to be enjoyable although it's in there somewhere. Piercing on the palate and the nose. A bold and brash wine. A core of fruit somewhere that emerges slowly. Like a pianist adding a extended note to a chord, the wine adds compelling notes of complexity now and again.
A truly unique wine that I am a little ambivalent about. It appears to be missing something to be a great wine....complexity, fruit? The fruit emerged but wasn't ever very distinct.... a little muddled. I don't know whether this is a great wine or not....it certainly showed moments of it. I wonder whether it was damaged at all from the leak. I have more so I will be able to compare.
This wine isn't going downhill anytime soon. I will probably drink one every 5 or ten years and see how it goes. A real treat and a real traditional wine. The amount of energy, acid, structure, attack in this wine was intense and unparalleled in my experience. I would have guessed Barolo if tasted blind, although there are certainly some aspects that are not Barolo-like, it was surprisingly akin to its northern neighbor.
Thanks
Fraser
Edited by fraser (01-05-2014 09:24:18)