MIPTC #5 - Donnachiara Aglianico Irpinia 2018

Welcome to this fifth edition of the?#MIPTC?newsletter! I must say I have grown to really enjoy sitting down with a glass of wine to write these, and I sure hope you have at least half a s much fun reading them. This really is a welcome break from my game-face-on #inhhousecounsel gig and a lovely way to get to know y'all a bit more personally.

OK, so this week we are diving into my wheelhouse: Italian wines. I have been an italophile most of my life and can't ever seem to soak up the culture and food enough. Whether it be coffee, pasta, farniente and family values, it seems like the Italians can do no wrong - and wine is definitely no exception.

Of course, when one speaks of Italian wines, it's quite hard to avoid discussing famous DOCs and DOCGs like Chianti, Barolo and perhaps Veneto/Valpolicella. Yet, there is literally SO MUCH delicious smaller appellations and native varietals in the country that it is no wonder Italy is the biggest producer of wine worldwide (désolé, la France!)

One of those sleeper varietals (at least to mainstream North American consumers) is Aglianico “alli-yawn-nico”, which is normally seen in the Campania and Basilicata regions. Traditionally, Aglianico was known to be a heavy hitter that took years to soften up - kind of like Barolo is usually seen. Standard wisdom was even to let this stuff age for at least 10 years before even trying a bottle... unless you wanted to lose half your enamel, that is.

To give a short primer on ageing, (properly) keeping a wine in bottle for many years creates a series of chemical reactions which can strongly impact its taste and flavor profile. For one, the tannins will "melt" by becoming softer and more integrated in the wine, as will the acidity. These two also act as a preservation agent to allow the wine's flavors to survive. This is why you need a lot of them in age-worthy wines: if you do not, the aged product will be flat, lacking in structure and more likely to be seriously flawed.

Like with Barolo (yet again), there has been quite a change in mentality over Aglianico in the last few decades. Instead of making it in the traditional hits-you-in-the-guts-and-lets-you-gasp-for-air style, many winemakers are now using modern techniques to make it fresher and more approachable in youth. Whether this is a good thing is a very controversial subject. On the one hand, some say Aglianico's true spirit (or terroir) can only be captured by following tradition. On the other, some advocate that limiting Aglianico's style to what it has been is to unfairly limit its otherwise great potential.

To situate you, I guess this one is kind of traditional, but not stereotypically so. Still, I definitely wouldn't put it in the iconoclastic new wave style either.

All right, let's get drinking!

(not my best picture, I know - I was in a rush!)

The Skinny

• From: Irpina, Campania, Italy
• Varietals: Aglianico 100%
• Price: $23,10 CAD
• Feature: None

Tasting Notes

On the nose, you really don't get much at first, which is normally a tell-tale sign you should have let it in its slumber a little longer. I was kind of expecting a more modern style, so this was a bit of a surprise. After throwing it in a decanter for hours to make up for lost time (an object you must absolutely own if you do not already), things started coming up: tart canberries, some leather and generally rustic notes, as well as a background of hot spices and nearly dominant smoke. I personally don't love very smoky wines, but know they please a lot of folks, so your mileage may vary.

On the palate, this is a tannin monster but without as much acidity as one would expect from traditional Aglianico. You can therefore sort of tell they wanted to do something a bit different here. After a lot of air, you get a hint of fruit but not in a very juicy or generous way. This is austere stuff that doesn't reveal itself easily, and hours of decanting only begin to scratch the surface of what this could be at its peak. Definitely not the kind of heavy-but-flirty we know from, say, Californian fruit bombs. Pleasant, lingering length throughout and balanced alcohol. Overall, I'm intrigued and would definitely be curious to revisit in a few years. Still not a bad bottle in this style, though.

Cutting To The Chase: Does It Please The Cork?

This gets 3 stars because it shows potential - kind of like the annoying bratty kid in your class that you know is going places. It is also fine for those who like very austere wine styles and/or are willing to spend the time decanting it like I ultimately did. It would also be a fine experiment for those willing to see the effect of ageing on wines: have a bottle now, jot down some thoughts, and then go back to it in 5-10 years to see how things changed. Chances are you'd be very surprised with the results! Otherwise, this drinks fine, but you kind of have to fight with it a bit to get anything back. I'll leave it to you to decide whether that'd be something you'd enjoy.

Cork Score: 3/5*

***

*Here's the lowdown on the scores, by the way. Essentially, I don't believe in 100-point scales for things as subjective as wine. Simply put, I just don't think one can credibly justify a 1% or even a 10% increment between two wines. I therefore choose to go a bit more basic. Here's how I break it down:

• 1/5: Seriously faulty, terrible, undrinkable;
• 2/5: Flawed and/or of bad quality. This is the type of stuff you should probably cook with and not drink;
• 3/5: Decent. This is where most entries will end up. These wines are clean and well-balanced, but not particularly memorable and/or exceptional. They are recommendable, but not an experience per se;
• 4/5: Exceptional. I sadly drink few wines that get this rating, but my purpose is to drink more. This denotes a memorable bottle that brought up some kind of emotion in me. This left a mark, and odds are I am now busy recommending it to everybody I know;
• 5/5: Perfect. I think I have probably tasted less than 5 bottles that would have qualified for a 5/5 in my entire life. This denotes an absolutely incredible wine that will imprint a definite memory for years to come - a true experience in itself.