Struzziero 1990 Taurasi Riserva

This has a Wine Expo sticker on it and I believe the importer was Domaine Select. I believe Wine Expo still carries this producer. No affiliation.

This wine answers one (two?) question for me - does Taurasi (or Vulture) age and do I like what it turns into. The answer, is yes.


I had this wine with lamb kebobs with radicchio/mushroom risotto which was a great combo. The wine really needed food and didn't fare as well without. I've also been keeping the wines in the basement until it's time to drink, feeling that I've been drinking them too warm. Indeed, this is quite a cool drink for such a hot climate, a trait among these wines I've found more than once. Cool, menthol and smooth. Very pungent nose for a non-Nebbiolo. Lots of barolo of the South moments. The favorite coffee and bitter greens flavors emerge. This is elegant with concentration, not over the top or brash. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that this wine is still young and should improve for quite a while. It continued to open up as we drank it and the last aromas in the empty bottle were quite pungent and compelling. Decanted for an hour. Very nice, old world wine with good acidity. I had a bottle of this shortly after it arrived that wasn't very impressive, continuing my supersition that old bottles should rest for quite a while after shipping. I have to start taking notes instead of relying on memory.

5 for 6 success rate on recent older Italian bottles.

Thanks
Fraser