Terredora di Paolo Irpinia Aglianico 2020

Irpinia’s most famous wine comes from the Aglianico grape, an ancient, sturdy variety that has risen to prominence thanks largely to the spectacular wines Angelo Mastroberardino made in the 1960s. The grape has thick skin and a dark, smoky flavor profile that neatly evokes the volcanoes that dominate Irpinia’s horizon, volcanoes that have contributed a fair amount of lava to the rich soils of the region over many millennia. A more recent blow-up involved the Mastroberardino family, where two brothers at odds with how to run the family business saw one take the famous name, and the other the vineyards. Today, those vineyards operate under the name Terradora di Paolo, and quietly make some of Campania’s finest wines. This Aglianico is a classic expression of the variety, with a nose of black peppercorn, pipe smoke trapped in sandstone, sun-warmed strawberries, raspberry tart, sandalwood and potpourri. The palate has a picket fence of tannins, black-etched structure with acidity too, whic