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Terra di Lavoro, first produced in 1994, has quickly established itself as one of Italy’s cult wines. I tasted all of these vintages with proprietors Arturo and Dora Celentano during their first visit to the US. The Celentanos have a huge passion for food and wine, and that exuberance comes through loud and clear in these fabulous wines. Terra di Lavoro is 80% Aglianico and 20% Piedirosso from vines planted by consulting oenologist Riccardo Cotarella beginning in 1991. The fruit is harvested according to ripeness rather than strictly by variety, which means that Aglianico and Piedirosso are sometimes picked and vinified together. After the alcoholic fermentation, the wines are racked into French oak where they remain on their lees for several months. Cotarella describes Aglianico as a hard grape to take through malolactic fermentation. He therefore believes it is essential for the final blend to be made before the wines go into malo. The final blend is assembled and undergoes what is usually a very slow malo, in steel for 80-90% of the wine, prior to being moved back into oak. There is little question that malolactic fermentation in stainless steel contributes significant freshness and aging potential to this heroic southern Italian wine.

Terra di Lavoro 2007, magnum, pris 1595 kr, endast 7 flaskor tillgängliga

The 2007 Terra di Lavoro emerges from the glass with an array of floral red fruit, spices, berries and minerals. It is an especially forward, opulent Terra di Lavoro bursting with exuberance. There is something viscerally thrilling about the 2007, perhaps because Terra di Lavoro is typically so reticent when it is young. Not here. This is an open, wonderfully expressive vintage. The only thing left to wonder is if the wine will ever shut down in bottle. For now, readers who want to understand what makes Terra di Lavoro such a pedigreed wine may want to start here. Readers who prefer a firmer style will likely gravitate towards the 2006 or 2008, but this is a flat-out great bottle of wine with an explosive personality that carries through to the long, intensely satisfying finish. In 2007 the weather was consistently hot, but the 2007 doesn’t show the jamminess of the 2003 nor the sheer power of the 2001. Anticipated maturity: 2017-2032. 97 poäng

Terra di Lavoro 2008, magnum, pris 1525 kr, endast 7 flaskor tillgängliga

Galardi’s 2008 Terra di Lavoro is a legend in the making. It is a fabulously ripe, rich and seductive wine endowed with beautifully articulated dark plums, ash, leather, licorice, all of which meld together in an explosive, utterly thrilling display of class and elegance. Clean, mineral notes frame the eternal finish. Today the 2008 is impossibly young and the wine will require considerable patience, but its class, pedigree and potential are all first-rate. Simply put, the 2008 is a monumental Terra di Lavoro. Anticipated maturity: 2018-2038. 97 poäng

Terra di Lavoro 2009, pris 469 kronor/flaska, säljs i 6 pack för 2449 kronor, spara 13%

This is one of the most open, approachable young Terra di Lavoros I have ever tasted. The wine shows good intensity in its dark fruit, with layers of ash, smoke, crushed flowers and minerals that develop in the glass. The 2009 is a pretty, accessible Terra di Lavoro that will

make a great introduction for readers who are new to the wine and don't want to wait for some of the more important vintages to come around. Terra di Lavoro is 80% Aglianico and 20% Piedirosso. The 2009 spent 14 months in French oak barrels, 70% new. Readers who want to see how some of the older vintages are developing may want to take a look at notes from my vertical tasting last year, published in Issue 190. Anticipated maturity: 2017-2029. 93 poäng