2016 Mastroberardino “Historia” Taurasi Riserva
The estate’s classic, benchmark Riserva from the historic Taurasi cru. A powerful and polished Aglianico with layers of dark cherry,
Producer
Mastroberardino
I have reviewed seven wines from Mastroberardino, from the 2016 to 2024 vintages, across Taurasi, Fiano di Avellino, Lacryma Christi del Vesuvio Rosso and others. Scores range from 90 to 97, averaging 94; the highest is the 2016 Mastroberardino “Historia” Taurasi Riserva (97 points). Mastroberardino also features in one journal article on this site.
Mastroberardino is the royal family of Campania. For some ten generations the family has been the guardian of the region’s native grapes, and after the Second World War, when most growers were switching to international varieties, Antonio Mastroberardino worked almost alone to save Aglianico, Fiano and Greco from extinction. Based in Atripalda, in the volcanic heartland of Irpinia, the estate remains the benchmark for Taurasi, the “Barolo of the South.”
Two Taurasi define the reds. Radici is the austere, traditionalist expression, with a formidable tannic backbone, earthy mineral tones and decades of life ahead. The Historia Riserva is the polished counterpart, layered with dark cherry, leather and spice. The whites are just as important: the Radici Fiano di Avellino is Fiano at its most serious and structural, waxy and saline, with toasted hazelnut and smoke, and built to age into honeyed complexity. The Stilema bottlings of Fiano di Avellino and Greco di Tufo belong to a project to revive a more traditional, age-worthy style — the Greco flinty and smoky, the Fiano textured with hazelnut, pear and honey.
On the slopes of Vesuvius the estate also makes Lacryma Christi del Vesuvio Rosso from Piedirosso and Aglianico, a medium-bodied red of black cherry, dried herbs and volcanic minerality, named for the legend of Christ’s tears falling on the mountain. Mastroberardino proves that the volcanic soils of the south produce whites and reds of world-class complexity.
Wine Reviews for Mastroberardino
2019 Mastroberardino “Radici” Taurasi
A more austere and traditionalist expression of Taurasi, this wine has a formidable tannic backbone and a focus on earthy,
2019 Mastroberardino “Stilema” Fiano di Avellino Riserva
A brilliant expression of Fiano’s potential for complexity, this shows textural depth with notes of hazelnut, pear, and honey, all
2019 Mastroberardino “Stilema” Fiano di Avellino Riserva Read Post »
2019 Mastroberardino “Stilema” Greco di Tufo Riserva
Part of a project to revive a more traditional, age-worthy style of Greco, this wine is powerfully mineral, with flinty,
2019 Mastroberardino “Stilema” Greco di Tufo Riserva Read Post »
2023 Mastroberardino Lacryma Christi del Vesuvio Rosso
The red wine Lacryma di Christi del Vesuvio Rosso brings the volcanic power of Mount Vesuvius to the glass. Mastroberardino
2023 Mastroberardino Lacryma Christi del Vesuvio Rosso Read Post »
2024 Mastroberardino “Radici” Fiano d’Avellino
The 2024 Mastroberardino “Radici” Fiano d’Avellino is the undisputed benchmark for southern Italian whites. Produced by the legendary family that
Campania: Where Volcanoes, Gods, and Ancient Vines Meet
There are few places in Italy where history feels as raw and present as it does in Campania. You can
Campania: Where Volcanoes, Gods, and Ancient Vines Meet Read Post »
2022 Mastroberardino Lacryma Christi del Vesuvio Rosso
The red wine Lacryma di Christi del Vesuvio Rosso brings the volcanic power of Mount Vesuvius to the glass. Mastroberardino
2022 Mastroberardino Lacryma Christi del Vesuvio Rosso Read Post »