Pipoli Campania Aglianico Senza Solfiti 2011

Have you ever taken a sip of wine and have a wacky flavour hit your senses that makes you blurt out loud, 'Really!?!?!??! Shit, where did that come from?' The Pipoli Campania Aglianico Senza Solfiti 2011 is that wine.

A couple of weeks ago at work a customer purchased this wine wanting a wine with little or know added sulphur or preservatives. For me, this is the best wine in that bracket, but with each purchase of sulphur free wine there is a warning, or more to the point letting the punter know what they may get when they open the wine; a volatile spritzy wine due to the introduction of O2 which is the kickoff for any active yeast to metabolise. A few hours later they brought the wine back, asked me to have a look at it because they thought it had turned. I thought the wine was fine but let them get something else if they wanted.

I understand that some people have acute reactions to SO2, but there are a lot of people who think SO2 is an inorganic compound. Incorrect. SO2 is allowed in all organic wine making processes. Even if SO2 is not added in the wine making process, yeasts create SO2 as a bi-product in the ferment, so the likelihood of 100% SO2 free wine is invariably unlikely.

So back to the wine in question. As I said in the opening paragraph, 'Really!?!?!??! Shit, where did that come from?', and with every sip it was the same reaction. WOW. So the flavour profile in question? A Snickers bar. Truly. It tasted like a Snickers. It was awesome tell you. But the thing is I have had this wine on numerous occasions and the flavour has been different and wacky, and sometimes very volatile. But that's what you get when the wine has no added SO2. Its somewhat of a lottery I guess. But do not get me wrong. I love this wine.

Drink till 2016
Drink with char grilled lamb
94
Diam cork 13%v/v $25

Pipoli Campania Aglianico 2010

I cannot sleep tonight. Woke up at about 2.30am and have been stuck ever since. So here I am in the study listening to the wine and also watching a stream of Tottenham Hotspurs cracking come from behind win against Cashchester City - Go you Spurs!!!

But we are here for the wine right. The Pipoli Campania Aglianico 2010 is one of those wines that cannot be likened to anything from the new world. Its not shiraz fruit forward.; its not Cabernet tannins and its not Pinot Noir gamey. Its Aglianico. You just gotta try some.

The nose is a combination of dusty black fruit, olive tapanade and ironstone iodine. The palate follows suit with dusty tannins up front which are quickly followed by a big wash of blackberries while all being held tight by an iodine like acid strip. Real complex but real enjoyable, not to mention a bargain to boot!!!

Drink till 2015
Drink with lamb rago
93
Cork 13.5%v/v $19 Seddon Wine Store

Chalmers Murray-Darling Aglianico 2009

They call Aglianico (pronounced a-li-a-nico) the 'Barolo of the South', the south being Campania in Italy; around the bottom of the shin of the boot for those trying to place it. A big call yes, but when its good, its very schmick.

Change of time zone and we're in the Murray-Darling of NSW and in the very capable hands of the Chalmers family. These guys have been propagating cuttings from the old world for yonks, and it has been of recent that they have been takings these cuttings and making their own wine. The finished product is a ripper.

For today's post, that finished product id the Chalmers Murray-Darling Aglianico 2009. Plenty of red in the glass, the wine offers a great mix of red fruit and garden herbs - think a pot purri of dried sage, rosemary and friends. You are greeted by crisp acid and furry tannins up front which are followed with more red fruit and an almost medicinal finish, or orange acid blast as I wrote down. I don't know if its just me, but I get a whiff of iodine on the nose which translates to cough drop in the mouth; this is a good thing I reckon cos it displays what a unique variety this is, and not just a garden variety fruit bomb. This is definitely one to look for.

Drink with mushroom ragu
Drink till 2015
92
Diam cork 14%v/v $32

Vadiaperti Campania Falanghina IGT 2009

This is not for the faint of heart. The Vadiaperti Campania Falanghina IGT 2009 is a wine that cannot easily be pigeon-holed like a chardonnay, riesling or sauvignon, where all three in one way or another can be mistaken for the others. Very often with ‘exotic’ varieties you have people ask what other variety is it similar to; well this variety has a ‘hole’ all of its own! Captivating on the nose with a touch of candied grapefruit and dried herbs, the palate throws all manner of savoury notes of more dried herbs, acid and white phenolics. It is the mid palate where the dried herb aspect makes you stand to attention; its something that takes a while to put your finger on, but its there, trust me. A cracking wine and club house leader in my fridge right now.

Drink with risotto of goat’s cheese and asparagus
Drink till 2014
94
Natural cork 13%v/v $33 Albert St Food & Wine, Brunswick