Vertical tasting of Taurasi Mastroberardino. From 1934 to the present
There are few wineries in Italy, let alone families, that can present wines from the 1930s that have not been topped up, but are taken straight off the shelf in the cellar. And after they are opened, they are not bad at all, in fact they let us dream. We dream that these few stories that we are lucky enough to tell, whose protagonists are the pioneers of Italian wine, are the demonstration of what our country can offer at length in a few decades’ time. This is the case of Taurasi Mastroberardino.
Collectors have got to 1950
Although in the mental map of the connoisseur Taurasi is a fundamental point, a classic, we would do well to remember that the DOCG was created in 1992, and there were only two producers, one of which was Mastroberardino. This is why we say that, compared to many well-known classic French wines, we still have a lot to say, backed by these shining examples. Collectors all over the world collect Mastroberardino wines up to the 1960s. There are even some bottles from the 1950s in circulation, especially in the USA, but finding previous vintages is a difficult feat.
Tasting of Taurasi Mastroberardino. Ten bottles for ten years
Therefore it is a special occasion to taste a 1934 vintage, and to jump from decade to decade, ideally under the eyes of the founding fathers of the winery in Campania, whose portraits survey us from the walls: Michele, Angelo and Antonio. Piero guides us through the tasting, and (see Civiltà del bere May/June, page 34) showed us round most of the 200 hectares of the estate, starting with the two estates, Mirabella Eclano (66 hectares) and Montemarano (historic site for Taurasi DOCG, 12 hectares). We have seen first-hand the bunches of Aglianico and the vineyards cared for with passion by Antonio Dente, the grape production manager. But let’s get back to that 27th May 2016 and to the so-called “T-Day”, ten Taurasi wines, and, hoping to convey the emotion of that morning, here are the notes from our tastings.
Read the tasting notes of the Taurasi Mastroberardino vertical tasting.
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