perplexed by Terra di Lavoro

WINE TALK
1

hello fellow wine lovers

its been my observation (didnt exactly needed sherlock holmes to fidn this) that terra di lavoro rightfully so started as a cult wine and was priced as such (low 100s on release) until some 4-5 years ago started coming down in price each passing vintage. 2010 at premier cru is $49!!! elsewhere one can find it at $60ish no problems.

this wine regardless of the vintage has been receiving awesome reviews from traditionalist and modernist critics, wine buyers/lovers of all kind to have been giving them their stamp of approval.

question is what the hell is going on here? why? has production somehow drastically increased? i am not aware of this by doing some fact checking here and there. reviews, and glowing remarks are everywhere and keep pouring in from each vintage. what gives? really curious to find “the” or some plausible answers…

2

I used to buy it because the reviews made it sound like a wine I’d like. I’m not a buyer anymore. I’ve tried several vintages at various maturity levels and I just don’t like it young, and I don’t see it becoming great. The tannins are often raw and grating. (And im one who normally loves high t&a wines.) Pretty much everyone I’ve drank them with has had the same reaction. My theory is that it’s an interesting but pretty esoteric wine and not nearly as good as the reviews would suggest. In almost all instances I’d rather have a $50 Barolo. I’m holding the rest of mine for the very long haul in hopes they will blossom with 25+ yrs of age.

3

I think this is a good example of why the whole theory that people buy on numbers is mostly BS. I think people try on numbers. I think in this case, many people (like Ryan) did not find it was for them, so they didn’t buy more. Similar things have happened to many highly rated Australian wines. I suppose even Quilceda Creek is another example. 100 point score after 100 point score, but there is nothing like the secondary market that there is for highly rated SQN or for top wines in more well-established regions like Burgundy, Bordeaux, or even Napa. Very few people buy blindly forever. If a lot people who bought Screagle didn’t ultimately like it, they would divert their dollars elsewhere.

FWIW I think Terra di Lavoro is one of the world’s greatest wines, but it needs 20 years to fully show itself. Given that, it is hard to know why I am still buying it at my age. I suppose I think someday people will try old bottles, realize how great they are, and my widow will be rich.

4

I bought one once on the hype, just for a science experiment. I finally tried it and I just don’t get it. I couldn’t project it’s future evolution like I usually can with Bordeaux, Barolo and Burgundy for example. However, Ken calling it “one of the world’s greatest wines” is more validation for me than all the curiously high scores. Just a lack of understanding on my part, I guess.

5

A couple of old Mastroberardino masterpieces a while back turned me onto this region- they reside in my top 10 wine experiences. These wines need time - I’m in the camp of trusting the youth and vigor of these wines which will hopefully one day reveal a true beauty. I’ve socked away some bottles with this in mind.

6

+1 here. a 1971 Mastoberardino Radici made me a believer.

1 Like
7

My experiences with 2002 Galardi have made me a believer. I’m sure it will also improve but it showed well enough for me to realize it’s a pretty singular wine. It’s impressed my non-wine nerd friends too.

8

I am honored. [notworthy.gif]

9

To this point, I recently found out that those old Mastroberardinos had about 10% Piedrosso along with the Aglianico.

BTW my spell checker wanted to substitute “Radioastronomical” for “Mastroberardino”.

And it wanted to substitute “Bastardization” for Gary’s “Mastoberardino”.

10

+1. I think part of the problem is that there aren’t really any mature examples of this wine yet.

11

+1 on needs time.

I started buying based on a combo of AG and bulletin board TNs.

A couple years ago I popped open a 2007 shortly after release. Since the earliest vintage I have is 2004, I figured the relatively newly bottled juice from a particularly warm vintage would give me the best insight into what it was all about.

I think checked in on that beast for the next 5 days at least. The first few had me questioning what all the fuss was about. It was a lot of nothing.

Then it got a bit more interesting for a day.

On the last day all the fascinating aromas people mention started to emerge. The TNs made sense then but I’d say they still can’t do it justice. I mean, having notes of volcanic ash in the mix tastes a lot better than it sounds. [snort.gif]

12

I haven’t opened that many but those few have been pretty fabulous. Not a wine that’s going to get the attention of those looking for big, voluptuous, juicy bombs. Here’s a note from a 2007 bottle about a year ago:

2007 Fattoria Galardi Terra di Lavoro Roccamonfina IGT - Italy, Campania, Roccamonfina IGT (3/5/2012)
Bacon, mineral nose, this takes a while to open up to deep, dark cherry, mineral, crushed stones, plenty of fine tannins, gorgeous deep dark cherry, great minerality. Oozes depth and intensity, without any hint of overripe fruit. Gets better each time I come back to it, just fabulous. (95 pts.)
Posted from CellarTracker

13

I also was very impressed with the 2002 a few years ago…

14

I was pretty impressed (though not to the degree the critics were) by the few I’ve had, but I think the lack of a cult factor and (relatively) low prices for the scores are explained by:

  1. It’s aglianico
  2. If you’re into it because you like aglianico, there are plenty others to choose from for less $$$
  3. If you’re not especially into aglianico and are just chasing the points, the vintages seem pretty interchangeable. They all rate about the same, once you buy it once you’ve “bagged the prey,” so to speak, so there’s not much pressure to keep coming back year after year.
15

A few months ago I bought some '97 and '99 Radici Riserva’s, then 2 weeks ago I was psyched when I saw the '97 by the quartino at Maialino. Unfortunately I found it needing a lot more time to come together, and don’t have the same desire to open one. Maybe it came from the same recent lot as my bottles and was suffering some travel shock, or they had jet lag, as they seemed tired, as I was not as impressed as I had hoped.

16

I’ve had both the 2000 and 2001 on trips to Amalfi in the past few years, and the 2000 in particular is beginning to open nicely. I’m a believer for these wines although I’m not buying as much after laying down 6-7 vintages in a row

17

I am a huge fan of TdL. One of my favorite red wines year in and year out, but it is not an “easy” wine. It can be hard as nails young and incredibly soft and stylish old. The wine requires food, and ideally some pretty hearty fare. Agree with Ken that it is IMO one of the great reds in the world. I like it isn’t too easy because it has kept prices reasonably decent.

18

These points mirror my thoughts. Point number 1 is the most important: it’s Aglianico. It’s a brawny, meat-flavored wine. Let’s say you’re a critic, and you try the wine, love it’s complexity and structure, and toss it some high points. Guy reading Spectator or Advocate says “holy shit, 94 WS, 95 WA, it outscored Merus. Let’s give it a try.” Buys, pops, and is left confounded by the quite-different and quite-savory and meaty profile. Probably won’t buy it again.

I really like it, but I’ll quickly admit that it lacks universal appeal to a much larger degree than many other consistently high-scorers.

19

good points everyone. i guess lack of track record and the fact that wines take so long to come around coupled with how tough they are for most people to “get” when young has lead to this trend.

i for one remain a buyer so long as the prices are hovering around those of radici riserva by mastroberardino.


cheers