Feudi Di San Gregorio - Taurasi 2016 (750ml)

Plum sauce, pencil lead, clove, balsamic spice, mint, rosemary, stone dust, rose petals and more... Each time the 2016 Taurasi Riserva Piano di Monte Vergine is tilted in the glass, it seems to reveal further depths. This is simply stunning, casting silken textural waves of tart wild berry fruit, citrus tones and brilliant acidity. Energetic yet still youthfully tense and structured, its web of fine-grained tannins appears late, slowly clamping down as a rosemary and tangerine resonance mingles and fizzles out. The 2016 Piano di Monte Vergine is a classic in the making.
It’s fantastic to see one of the most significant operations in Campania taking such big steps forward to better themselves and their region. Two years ago, I was introduced to the FeudiStudi project by Antonio Capaldo, the owner of Feudi di San Gregorio. Initially, the idea behind FeudiStudi was to take micro vinifications of Aglianico from their Taurasi vineyards, vinify them identically and then study their unique traits by terroir. This ongoing work has resulted in the breakdown of the winery's 300 hectares into 700 parcels that average 0.6 hectares per parcel.= However, in the last year, Capaldo has taken things to another level, enlisting the services of writer Paolo De Cristofaro to create a four-volume encyclopedia of Irpinia. The texts will include a history of the region, varieties, winemaking, descriptions of subzones and the vineyards of Feudi di San Gregorio. Capaldo explained that he hoped this would inspire the region as a whole to conduct similar studies. As for the wines, they’re better than ever. The push toward purity and communicating terroir is evident throughout the portfolio.