Mastroberardino Campania Wine Tasting with Special Guest Salvatore Napolitano

I like to drink wine more than I used to...

Don Corleone, The Godfather

I have been drinking 2 bottles a day for 26 years now…

I will never forget 26 years ago on May 1st when I bought the Wine Watch I was looking through the wine cabinet in the old store where all the expensive wines were kept at that time.  I found a bottle of 1968 Mastroberardino Taurasi Radici Riserva.  It was a wine I was very familiar with having sold these wines when I worked as a sales rep at Republic National, but had never had a wine from them that was so old.  I was the same way 26 years ago as I am today, there was no way I was selling that wine, I immediately billed it out to my account to write off as winetific research, how would I find another bottle this old in perfect condition of this rare wine.  There are none available today and the last bottle that was listed on winesearcher was listed at $878/btl.

We opened the bottle up one night in the store along with a bottle of 1990 Franciscan Magnificat Cabernet Sauvignon which I also found in the expensive wine section…that was an expensive Napa Valley wine in 1998.  The 1968 Taurasi was much darker in color, seemed younger not only in sight but there was so much primary fruit left on the palate.  It was utterly amazing to me that this 30 year old wine from Compania tasted a lot younger than an 8 year old wine from Napa Valley.  It was at that moment when I understood fully why they called this wine the Barolo of the south.  You can age these wines as long as any wine on Earth.

The grape varietal here is Aglianico and I can’t compare it to anything else, it is nothing like Nebbiolo in aromatics or on the palate, but they do have one thing in common both Nebbiolo and Aglianico only produce great wine in one place.  Nebbiolo in the Piedmont and Aglianco in Compania.

Join us as we welcome our good friend Salvatore Napolitano to town for a special evening of wines from this great producer along with a special menu of Compania inspired dishes from chefs Toni and Dani.  The fee for this tasting is $195 + tax, for reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com.  Please let us know if you have any dietary restrictions and chefs Toni and Dani will be happy to accommodate you.

MASTROBERARDINO CAMPANIA WINE TASTING
WITH SPECIAL GUEST SALVATORE NAPOLITANO
Thursday, May 16, 2024
7:30 PM

2019 MASTROBERARDINO LACRYMA CHRISTI DEL VESUVIO BLANC
Price: $21.00                     Your Price: $18.48          
Literally translated this means “The Tears of Christ” because when he saw how beautiful this place was he cried.  Aromas of pear, apple and citrus, with notes of white peach and licorice. Smooth, with moderate acidity and body make this a well-structured, food-friendly wine.

2022 MASTROBERARDINO FIANO DI AVELLINO RADICI
Price: $32.25                     Your Price: $28.38
Fresh citrus and melon fruit with notes of wet stones and a distinct minerality on the nose very fresh and clean with a short but pleasant finish.  Finish 35+  Excellent

2021 MASTROBERARDINO GRECO DI TUFO NOVA SERRA
Price: $32.25                     Your Price: $28.38
Deep straw yellow. Scents of apricot, pear, apple, peach, citrus fruits, and green almonds are followed by subtle notes of sage minerals. Bright acidity carried ripe fruit flavors across the palate. This wine has excellent structure.

2020 MASTROBERARDINO LACRYMA CHRISTI DEL VESUVIO RED
Price: $24.00                     Your Price: $21.12
Light red plum and cherry fruit with notes of black pepper dried herbs and tomato leaf on the nose.  A smooth and silky wine on the tongue light and refreshing with a short but pleasant finish.  Finish 35+  Very Good

2020 MASTROBERARDINO AGLIANICO IRPINA RE DI MORE
Price: $30.00                     Your Price: $26.40
Deep ruby red. A complex and enveloping bouquet offers aromas of red fruits, particularly strawberry and raspberry, and spices such as vanilla, tobacco, cocoa, and coffee. This is a warm, enveloping wine with great structure and notable softness.

2017 MASTROBERARDINO TAURASI RADICI
Price: $63.00                     Your Price: $55.44          
(94 Points) The 2017 Taurasi Radici is a force to be reckoned with, as it bursts from the glass with masses of raspberries, currants and plums, complemented by an array of autumnal spices and crushed violets. Its textural depth and density is something to behold, silky, almost creamy, yet contrasted perfectly by a core of mineral-laced black fruits and brisk acids, as an air of inner rose and cloves forms toward the close. The 2017 is persistent and structured yet also unbelievably fresh, as fine tannins frame its smoky mineral tones, along with lasting hints of blackberry and olive. This is a gorgeous rendition of Radici that should provide readers with a slightly earlier drinking window than normally expected. That said, we are talking in terms of Taurasi here, and this wine has a very bright future ahead of it.  Vinous

2014 MASTROBERARDINO TAURASI RADICI RISERVA
Price: $75.00                     Your Price: $66.00
(92 Points) Mastroberardino shows an impressive performance in this challenging vintage that was cooler and wetter than average. The 2014 Taurasi Radici is a rich and darkly concentrated expression of Aglianico with a generous bouquet. The wine's aromas are stacked high and tall with dried cherry, prune, Indian spice, tar, tobacco and campfire ash. Perhaps the mouthfeel is less powerful compared to a warmer vintage, but that cooling acidity and compact flavor profile suits this wine very nicely. Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

2015 MASTROBERARDINO NATURALIS HISTORIA TAURASI DOCG
Price: $90.00                     Your Price: $79.20
Aglianico grapes for Naturalis Historia Taurasi are grown on vineyards that are South-West facing. Deep and sandy loam soils include traces of limestone, clay and some volcanic matter, and is well-draining. The vineyard sits at 400m a.s.l and has an average vine age of 40 years. The vines are Cordon Spur-pruned and Espalier-trained and planted at a density of about 5,000 vines/ha (2,000 vines/acre). Yields average 5,000 kg/ha (or 4,460 lbs/acre) and 1 kg/vine (or 2.20 lbs/vine).

WINEMAKING & AGEING:  Manual harvest takes place end of October. Fermentation in stainless steel is followed by a long maceration period at controlled temperature in stainless steel tanks. Aged for 24 months in French oak barriques, followed by an additional 30 months refinement in bottle. Naturalis Historia Taurasi has an ageing potential of 50 years or more.

TASTING NOTES:  Deep ruby red. Complex, full, intense and persistent, the bouquet offers aromas of violets, black currant, blackberry, strawberry, black cherry, vanilla, and chocolate.
The profile is warm and enveloping, with great structure and softness. Plum, bitter cherry, raspberry, strawberry jam and spices on the palate. Pair with pasta and meat sauces, mushroom, truffles, grilled and roasted red meats, and grilled game.

1982 MASTROBERARDINO RADICI RISERVA, TAURASI DOCG, ITALY
Price: $365.00                   Sale Price: $295.00                Quantity in Stock: 9
This is the fully mature version of this great age worthy grape varietal of Compania and we have 11 bottles to sell!  When I saw this case come in it brought back memories of the 1968 that I inherited when I bought the store and immediately set aside three bottles for future  winentific research!  We have 9 bottles in stock and they are in perfect condition!

Menu
Selection of Cheese and Charcuterie
Zuppa di Ceci e Vongole (Baby Clam Soup)
Thai Salad Featuring Rare Seared Beef Shallots Fish Sauce and other Thai Stuff...
Calzone Stuffed wtih Salumi, Sausage, Mushroom with Smoky Volcano Tomato Sauce
Delizia al Limone

 The fee for this tasting is $195 + tax, for reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com.  Please let us know when you make your reservations if you have any dietary restrictions and chefs Toni and Dani will be happy to accommodate you. 

A bit about Mastroberardino Winery

The Mastroberardino family has been living in the wine-growing socio-cultural context for over two centuries, based on the most reliable historical reconstructions.

The first traces of the presence in Irpinia date back to the Bourbon land register, in the mid- eighteenth century , a time in which the family elected the village of Atripalda as its headquarters, where the ancient cellars are still located, and from there it originated a lineage that linked its fate inextricably linked to the cult of wine.

Since then, ten generations have run the family business, with ups and downs, as always happens in the stories of family businesses of older origins.

The family estates are located in Irpinia, cradle of three DOCGs: Greco di Tufo, Fiano di Avellino and Taurasi , distributed in the various areas of the territory with the aim of preserving their identity and ensuring primary protection, continuity and development then, of native viticulture.

This has always been the company’s mission, to defend traditional wine values, with a keen eye on innovation and the modern interpretation of its wines, in a skillful synthesis between the character and style of ancient qualitative technologies. 

The Mastroberardino family remained this almost alone in Irpina to defend this heritage until the 1990’s.  If today the wines of this territory are definitively legitimized among the most exclusive and renowned world productions, this is due to the consistency and enormous cultural congribution of Antonio Mastroberardino, who was able to masterfully represent the junction between the roots of the ancient world and man’s inexhaustible thirst for knowledge.

Innovation, research and experimentation have accompanied the work of recovering and relaunching the oldest biotypes with the best characteristics, in order to safeguard biodiversity within these varietal families and increase their qualitative potential.
The first traces of the Mastroberardino enterprise in the current location of Atripalda, on the outskirts of Avellino, date back to the mid-eighteenth century. Since then, to the present day, there have been ten generations of the family, without interruption.
In 1878, with the registration at the Chamber of Commerce of Avellino, Angelo Mastroberardino, Knight of the Order of the Crown of Italy and great-grandfather of the current President, Piero Mastroberardino, began exporting the family wines first to Europe, then, thanks to the long and pioneering travels of his son Michele Mastroberardino, towards North America and Latin America.

The ancient message of the great wines of Irpinia animates the family's entrepreneurial commitment even in the difficult years of the mid-twentieth century, when, despite the damage caused first by phylloxera and then by the war, Antonio
Mastroberardino, Knight of Merit for Work, father of Piero remains the only, staunch defender of the native viticulture of the area, against widespread pressures tending to abandon that tradition and move towards more productive and less valuable varieties. He is the architect of the replanting program that paves the way for the relaunch of Irpinia viticulture, projecting it towards current recognition.
The leadership of the family business is now entrusted to Piero Mastroberardino, who has been at the helm of the company since the mid-1990s.

Tenth generation viticulturist, Piero is Full Professor of Business Management at the University, author of numerous international scientific publications on management topics.
His professional and entrepreneurial profile is closely linked to his artistic one which materializes in the fields of drawing and painting, narrative and poetry.
From 2011 to today he has in fact published two novels, Umano Errare and Giro di Vite and two collections of poems, All'origine dei sensi and Frammenti, the latter in the form of an artist's book.
With his paintings by him he has held numerous personal and collective exhibitions in Italy and abroad and many of his works by him are present in national and international collections.
Since May 2015 he has been president of the Institute of Quality Italian Wine of Great Brands.