Mastroberardino Irpinia Aglianico 2023

No house has done more to keep Campania's ancient grapes alive than Mastroberardino. Founded at Atripalda in 1878, with family roots in Irpinian wine running back more than ten generations, the estate safeguarded Aglianico, Fiano, and Greco when phylloxera, war, and emigration had pushed them toward extinction; Antonio Mastroberardino earned the title of grape archaeologist for the work, and the family has even replanted Pompeii's Roman vineyards for its Villa dei Misteri project. This Irpinia Aglianico grows on clay soils at about 400 meters with southeastern exposure, is picked by hand between late October and early November, macerates around fifteen days in steel, and ages ten months in wood and six more in bottle. Intense ruby in the glass, it opens on black cherry, wild blackberry, violet, and spice before a supple, berry-laden palate. The approachable side of the grape the house calls the monarch of the region's viticulture.