2013 Taurasi
$45 (2016)
Italy
Taurasi
Campania
Red
Aglianico (2017 vintage)
00
2013
2020 - 2026
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2017
2026 - 2038
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Some wines can transcend a vintage. That’s the case with Cantine Lonardo’s 2018 Taurasis. The Vigne d'Alto and Coste show all of the dark radiance, complexity and traditional flair that I’ve come to expect from this estate. However, the 2017 Taurasi (not a single vineyard or Riserva) should be on everyone’s radar. The dry conditions of the year resulted in such a low quantity from the Coste vineyard that Sandro Lonardo decided to declassify the juice and add it to the house Taurasi. The result is an exceptional wine, and not just in the context of the vintage. The house style here is built on long-standing know-how handed down over generations and Sandro Lonardo’s desire to experiment within those traditional means. After a long day of tasting, one wine that impressed me is a new Aglianico, currently named “Aglianico Flor,” which readers can probably guess is matured under flor in barrel. The energy and verve of this young Aglianico is spellbinding. The Grecomusc (Revollo Bianco) is made in stainless steel and amphora. Grecomusc is starting to generate a lot of excitement from a small number of producers trying to rejuvenate this rare indigenous variety. The wine is honeyed and spicy with rich textures. In 2023, Tinessa lost nearly 70% of Grecomusc production due to downy mildew.
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2016
2025 - 2036
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The traditionally-styled Taurasi of Cantine Lonardo is always a highlight of my annual tastings. The Lonardo family has been tending these vineyards for generations, yet it was only in 1998 that Sandro Lonardo began bottling the wines. The vineyards, some over eighty years old and still planted on original rootstocks, have always been farmed using organic practices, with official certification established in 2016. Lonardo prefers long macerations, indigenous yeasts and aging primarily in 600-liter tonneaux, with a tiny amount of small-format barrels in the mix. The Irpinia Aglianico is easily one of the best values in its category. However, Lonardo truly excels with the single-vineyard Taurasi, Coste and Vigna d’Alto. Production is painfully small – sometimes under a thousand bottles of each of their Crus – yet these are wines worth the hunt.
00
2015
2019 - 2022
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2014
2019 - 2022
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2013
2024 - 2036
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2012
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2011
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2010
2015 - 2024
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Cantine Lonardo is a small estate situated directly in Taurasi, the heart of the DOCG production zone. The wines are everything you’d expect Taurasi to be: opulent, powerful, very deep and ageworthy. Winemaking is very traditional, featuring late harvesting of grapes (very typical in the Taurasi area, where Aglianico can be picked as late as mid-November), long maceration times (easily in excess of two months) and aging in stainless steel or large oak casks. Still, Lonardo’s wines never carry excessively high alcohol levels - a good thing because given their level of concentration, high-octane readings would make them almost undrinkable. In order to ensure high quality, Lonardo declassifies roughly half of his Taurasi grapes into an entry-level Irpinia Aglianico wine that is ready earlier and is easier to drink than his powerful Taurasi bottlings, all of which require considerable cellaring to show at their best.
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2009
2015 - 2029
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Last week I had a superb bottle of Mastroberardino’s 1985 Taurasi, which was a poignant reminder of just how gorgeous these wines can be. That bottle brought back memories of the Mastroberardino vertical I did back to 1928 a few years ago, a tasting that remains vividly etched in my mind, even today. I had a badly sprained ankle, and had to travel down to Baltimore the following day for a meeting with my colleagues, but none of that mattered at all. The wines were transcendental.
Ian D’Agata is our man on the ground in Campania now, but I recently saw an offer on a Lonardo Taurasi that floored me when I tasted it a few months ago, so I thought I would share these notes. Needless to say, if you can find the wines – especially the vineyard designates – don’t hesitate. There are only a handful of wines in the world that are so deeply evocative of a grape, a place and a vintage. Readers will find all of that - and so much more - here.
Cantine Lonardo is a small estate located in Irpinia, in the heart of the Aglianico production zone. A few weeks ago, we featured the 2010 Irpinia Aglianico, which is a superb value. The current Taurasi releases are even better. Lonardo makes four Taurasis, including a Riserva (which was not in my most recent tasting) and two vineyard designates; the Coste which emerges from 40 year-old vines on American rootstock on clay/limestone soils and the Vigne d’Alto, which is sourced from a parcel of 70-100 year-old vines on a combination of American rootstock and own-rooted vines planted on volcanic ash soils. Late harvests (typical of Aglianico), and long macerations lasting two-plus months are the rule. The vineyard designates are aged in 5HL casks, while, the straight Taurasi is done in a combination of cask and stainless steel. These are big, powerful wines built on concentration, structure and intense aromatics that capture the essence of what Aglianico and Taurasi are all about. The 2009s are a bit more open today than the 2008s, but both vintages will drink well for many, many years. Simply put, these are some of the most compelling wines being made in Italy today.
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2008
2015 - 2028
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It has been very exciting to see all that has happened at Cantine Lonardo over the last few years. The wines, once on the rustic side, are increasingly polished and expressive. With the 2007 vintage, Lonardo has released two single-vineyard Taurasis from some of the most prized sites in the appellation. To say these are some of the most thrilling wines I have tasted recently from Campania would be a huge understatement. Taurasi doesn't get anywhere near the attention the wines deserve. These three wines are about as good (or great!) as it gets.
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2007
2014 - 2027
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Lonardo is one of the few Taurasi producers that still remains relatively unknown.
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2005
2013 - 2020
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2004
2013 - 2024
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2001
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I was delighted to discover the pure, bold wines of Cantine Lonardo. This small, family-run estate makes just 10,000 bottles from its four hectares of vineyards. These classically built wines see extended periods of maceration on the skins and are aged in 600-liter French oak barrels, of which 30% are new. The wines are neither fined nor filtered prior to being bottled and can therefore throw off some sediment which readers may not be used to in younger wines.
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