Nicknamed “The Barolo of the South” for its powerful, long-aged reds, the southern Italian region of Taurasi belongs in the same collectible conversation as Cru Barolo, Brunello di Montalcino, Top Growth Bordeaux, and Cru Burgundy. This over-a-decade-old Aglianico release is a textbook example of the category for a relatively affordable price. The Perillo family did the cellaring for you and now this wine just made it stateside.

The Taurasi appellation is in central Campania, a solid hour east of Naples, where the landscape rises toward the Apennine mountains that form the spine of the Italian peninsula. Historically, this has been the most important red wine appellation in all of southern Italy. We’ll argue that Aglianico is Italy’s third noble grape variety, following Nebbiolo and Sangiovese. 

The Perillo Taurasi is no stranger to SommSelect and it always delivers after an hour decant. 

This is a brooding, exceptionally powerful red wine from a grape that turns everything up to 11—big tannins, big acid, big color, big extract. There are some kindred qualities to Malbec and Syrah, and yet Aglianico is ultimately darker, more savory, and more structured than either. The Perillo releases always have a refreshing streak of acidity running through the core of the wine which is a direct result of the property sitting at 1,600 feet above sea level. 

In the glass, the 2013 release has assertive and complex aromatics that jump out of the glass and almost snap your head back—not with alcohol heat, mind you, but with a dark-toned potpourri that includes ripe blackberry, mulberry, pomegranate, tar, cocoa, dried herbs, smoked meat, and a pronounced cigar box/tobacco leaf savor. It’s full-bodied yet lively on the palate.