1999 Terra di Lavoro

The 1999 Terra di Lavoro is marvelous. Dark wild cherries, ash, bacon fat and earthiness are just some of the nuances that emerge from this virile red. The 1999 is a joyous Terra di Lavoro endowed with remarkable depth and sheer power, all of which are framed by firm yet beautifully integrated tannins. Amazingly, the 1999 still needs a few years in bottle to express itself fully, but it is already pretty incredible. The vintage was hot, but with a healthy alternation between daytime and evening temperatures, nearly ideal conditions for making an important wine. The estate seems to have captured every bit of that potential. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2029. Terra di Lavoro, first produced in 1994, has quickly established itself as one of Italy’s cult wines. I tasted all of these vintages with proprietors Arturo and Dora Celentano during their first visit to the US. The Celentanos have a huge passion for food and wine, and that exuberance comes through loud and clear in these fabulous wines. Terra di Lavoro is 80% Aglianico and 20% Piedirosso from vines planted by consulting oenologist Riccardo Cotarella beginning in 1991. The fruit is harvested according to ripeness rather than strictly by variety, which means that Aglianico and Piedirosso are sometimes picked and vinified together. After the alcoholic fermentation, the wines are racked into French oak where they remain on their lees for several months. Cotarella describes Aglianico as a hard grape to take through malolactic fermentation. He therefore believes it is essential for the final blend to be made before the wines go into malo. The final blend is assembled and undergoes what is usually a very slow malo, in steel for 80-90% of the wine, prior to being moved back into oak. There is little question that malolactic fermentation in stainless steel contributes significant freshness and aging potential to this heroic southern Italian wine.

The 1999 Terra di Lavoro is marvelous. Dark wild cherries, ash, bacon fat and earthiness are just some of the nuances that emerge from this virile red. The 1999 is a joyous Terra di Lavoro endowed with remarkable depth and sheer power, all of which are framed by firm yet beautifully integrated tannins. Amazingly, the 1999 still needs a few years in bottle to express itself fully, but it is already pretty incredible. The vintage was hot, but with a healthy alternation between daytime and evening temperatures, nearly ideal conditions for making an important wine. The estate seems to have captured every bit of that potential. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2029. Aug 2010, www.robertparker.com

Solid, blackish ruby-purple to the rim. Ample aromas of blackberry, black plums, truffle, cepe, volcanic rock and damp earth. Superbly rich and concentrated, without the slightest hardness. At once firm and silky in texture, with highly complex, mouthcoating flavors of sweet berries, stones, underbrush and truffles. Sheer velvet from start to finish. A wine that gives the taster all the sensations of the territory where it is born: the woods, the rocky slopes, the wild berries, the mushrooms, the leaves and the herbs.