Cantine del Notaio – Il Sigillo 2009 – Aglianico Del Vulture

Red wine with a medium deep ruby colour; the rim is tawny so it’s showing a certain evolution. Very intense nose here, a lot of spiciness; we have wild herbs here, dry spices like pepper – white pepper – and then something quite sweet, some balmy notes as well. Then we have red fruits, like cherry and plum. It’s a wine with a rich structure, quite high density of fruit, and a lot of tannin; so it’s a style with very tannic grapes obviously, that has got some oak aging to soften. I think it’s starting to show more harmony on the palate right now, despite that massive tannic structure. I think it’s drinking well right now, because obviously those tannins are contributing to the length, so it really keeps lingering; and on the aftertaste there’s a lot of that wild herbal spiciness, some of those balmy notes with tobacco and cedar wood. Really long finish, long and lingering, with really nice and juicy red fruit. However, a wine with this amount of tannin is not probably for everyone, it needs its fair share of a huge juicy steak or something to tamper those tannins; but I like it.

Tasted by the Best Sommelier of the World, Andreas Larsson.