I Favati, Campi Taurasini Aglianico “Cretarossa”

I know I Favati to be a great producer, and the nomenclature on the label is familiar and meaningful to me, and still I was completely stunned by today’s supercharged red. It’s obnoxious, I know, but I’d like you to imagine me holding a megaphone to your face as I say the following: If you appreciate bold reds with a little bit of age and a lot of soul, you must try this one.I’ll dig deeper into its word-salad label in a second, but first, the basics: This is an explosive single-vineyard Aglianico from the Taurasi region of Campania, which Italian wine lovers know and cherish as “the Barolo of the south.” Although Sicily’s Mount Etna has lately stolen some of the spotlight, Taurasi is still the premier red wine appellation of the Italian south, and its Aglianico variety stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Nebbiolo and Sangiovese on Italy’s native-grape mountaintop. I Favati’s “Cretarossa” is not labeled as a Taurasi, but it sure performs like one—in fact, I’d bet on it out-performing most