Taurasi Fatica Contadina 2000, what a Taurasi..

We return to Terredora after the wonderful experience we had a few months ago at the winery, in Serra di Montefusco, in the province of Avellino. On that occasion we tasted twelve vintages of the estate's wines no longer on the market, including seven millesimes of the three different Taurasi produced at the estate.

And today we will talk about a Taurasi no longer on the market, specifically the Taurasi Fatica Contadina 2000, a bottle I purchased when I did not yet know Paolo Mastroberardino, the owner and driving force behind the estate. A Taurasi that this time I tasted at home, at dinner with friends, pairing it with a preparation of braised rabbit, garnished with a side of eggplant and potatoes.

Terredora manages a vineyard of approximately 200 hectares, entirely located in Irpinia and cultivated with the principal Campanian grape varieties such as Aglianico, Fiano, Greco, and Falanghina. The estate has been vinifying its own grapes for over twenty years and today produces and distributes over one million bottles.

Taurasi is made exclusively from Aglianico grapes, and those that contribute to the production of the Fatica Contadina come from the estate-owned vineyards located in Lapio and Montemilletto. The clay-limestone soils, of ancient volcanic origin, are characterized by significant slopes, a decisive factor for the quality of the final product. These hillsides, in fact, favor optimal sun exposure, which allows for the perfect ripening of the grapes, as well as good ventilation, which reduces humidity and inhibits, among other things, the formation of mold. The slopes also prevent waterlogging, thereby promoting water stress, with a beneficial contribution in terms of polyphenol deposition on the grape skins. The strong diurnal temperature variations, as well as between seasons, finally allow for the best development of aromas. These are characteristics we will find again in the wine.

But let us turn to the wine itself, which, as mentioned, is made from pure Aglianico grapes. After careful selection of the grapes, it is vinified with skin maceration for 10–12 days. After racking, malolactic fermentation follows, an essential phase for softening the exuberant hardness of Aglianico. Once alcoholic and malolactic fermentation are complete, the wine matures for 18 months in French oak barriques, continuing its refinement in 35-hectoliter Slavonian oak casks for a further 12 months, and then in bottle for another 10–12 months before going to market. This particular bottle had remained in my cellar for many more years before being uncorked.

After about an hour's wait to allow some oxygenation, the wine immediately struck me with its clear presence of fruity aromas, not even particularly ripe: plum, cherry in spirits, black cherry. Alongside the expected dark spice notes of pepper, but also nutmeg. Then, in quick succession, licorice, tobacco, and singular hints of aromatic herbs, juniper berries. An olfactory spectrum as broad as it is penetrating for a wine that was only at the beginning of its maturity phase. But the real surprise came on the palate, with an acidic surge that made the finish long, very long, where the tannins were perfectly integrated into the structure with vivid and persistent returns of licorice. After dinner, about an hour and a half later, the empty glass still smelled of balsam, with clear notes of mint and eucalyptus.

I probably made a mistake in choosing the moment to open the bottle. I was clearly in too much of a hurry... this bottle should have been opened at least another 15 years from now – a shame not to have a twin bottle to put it to the test. However, I must admit that tasting it at the beginning of its tertiary aromatic phase was a beautiful experience in itself.

A wine that confirms how longevity can pair so well with the high quality that, thanks to the careful attention devoted in both vineyard and cellar, is constantly pursued by Terredora.