CANTINE ANTONIO CAGGIANO – AGLIANICO DEL TAURASI
Antonio Caggiano
Antonio Caggiano cuts the perfect image of the wise Italian winemaker who loves to put his hands in the soil. The first time I saw him was in the fall of 2010 in Italy. I was driving up the small winding road in the village of Irpina looking for his winery when I came across an older man with grey hair and a beard chewing on the stub of a cigar and wearing an open shirt soiled from a day in the vineyard. I will never forget that first sight. He is my quintessential Italian winemaker.
Architect, photographer, and grape grower, Antonio Caggiano's estate is located in the village of Irpina the birthplace of the Aglianico vine. Caggiano started bottling his own wine in 1994. He was one of the first small estates in Irpina to do so.
Aglianico is an underappreciated grape. Its high natural acidity and strong tannins provide structured wines with complex flavours of black fruits, berries, leather, and forest floor. At its best, Aglianico produces complete, complex, and structured wines that are capable of extended cellaring.
Irpina is located in the appellation of Taurasi. Taurasi is often referred to as the Barolo of the South because its Aglianico wines are stunning and built for long ageing. Like many of the other great areas for winemaking, Taurasi is comprised of high altitude vineyards of volcanic soil. Hot days and cool nights allow for slow, elongated growing seasons providing grapes with optimal ripeness balanced by bright and refreshing acidities.
Caggiano produces three different Aglianico’s each with its own personality: Tauri is the fruity and accessible wine that he makes from his young vines – it has been refered to as an “excellent value” by Robert Parker; Salae Domini is the dense modern style barrique aged Aglianico; and Macchia dei Goti is the powerful, concentrated and brooding Aglianico with DOCG status that is aged three years before release. His white wines are also nothing to ignore. They are idiosyncratic, full and refreshing: Fiagre is a blend of Fiano and Greco exploding with honey scented white fruit and citrusy acidity; Bechar is made 100% from Fiano di Avellino and it is a luscious and full-bodied apricot and honeyed wine while remaining dry and focused.
The estate is dedicated to using organic techniques and reducing its impact on the environment. Cover crops are left between rows, and certified organic fertilizer is added only when required. In the winemaking, small amounts of sulphites are added to the wine for stability purposes. The estate is involved in a program with the local government to study the effects of these organic and sustainable practices on the terroir of the region and their ability to improve its quality.
Our Producers
Alto Adige
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Campania/Basilicata
Antonio Caggiano (Aglianico - Taurasi)
Tenuta San Francesco (Tintore – D’Amalfi Coast)
Emilia - Romagna
Fruili
Josko Gravner (Riobolla Gialla)
Stanko Radikon (Riobolla Gialla)
Piedmonte
Sicily
Frank Cornelissen (Nerello Mascalese – Mt. Etna)
Tuscany
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Umbria
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Veneto
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OREGON
FIAGRE 2010
IGT
Drinking Window: 2010-2014
6 x 750ml | $28.19
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Description: This wine is 70% Fiano di Avellino and 30% Greco.
Tasting Note:
BECHAR 2010
Fiano Di Avellini DOCG
Drinking Window: 2011-2014
6 x 750ml | $33.63
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Description: This wine is made 100% from Fiano di Avellino grapes. The grapes all come from the Lapio village council area. It is fermented in stainless steel at controlled temperature and held in bottles for 3 months before release.
Tasting Note: “Medium gold colour. Nice bright wine. Quite viscous. Medium intensity nose of flowers, apricots, honey, and spices. Sweet apricot and tropical fruits fill your mouth in this medium to full bodied wine with balanced refreshing acidity. Medium to long lemony finish. I love these wines.”
(Michael Cody – April 2011)
TAURI 2009
Irpina Aglianico DOC
Drinking Window: 2010-2030
6 x 750ml | $29.16
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Description: This is the entry level Aglianico from Caggiano and it offers excellent value. This wine is made from the grapes of three vineyards. It sees 6-7 months of oak of second or third year barriques.
Tasting Note: “Deep dark purple. Quite concentrated and opaque. Intense nose of red fruit, brown pepper, chilis, herbs, and forest floor. Really enjoyable nose. Big bodied wine with nice acidity and huge fruit concentration. Black plums. Medium length finish. This wine has everything. Better than previous vintages.”
(Michael Cody – April 2008)
SALAE DOMINI – CAMPI TAURASINI 2008
Irpina Aglianico DOC
Drinking Window: 2010-2030
6 x 750ml | $48.03
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Description: These grapes come from Caggiano’s grand crus vineayrds. The wine spends 8-10 months in new oak 70% of which is new.
Tasting Note: “Deep opaque colour. Medium plus intensity nose of beautiful red fruit with a hint of licorice and tar. Medium-bodied wine with big acidity, great fruit concentration, strong tannins, and a nice long finish. This has just a bit more of everything. Great vintage for this wine. Beautiful.”
(Michael Cody – April 2008)
VIGNA MACCHIA DEI GOTI 2007
Taurasi DOCG
Drinking Window: 2006-2013
6 x 750ml | $59.29
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Description: This is the flagship Aglianico from Caggiano. Made from 100% Aglianico di Taurasi grapes. The wine is aged in bariques for 18 months and in bottle another 12 months before release. Antonio Galloni of robertparker.com consistently scores this wine 92-94 points. Gambero Rosso gave this vintage two red glasses.
Tasting Note: “Super concentrated blood red. Gorgeous nose that is exploding out of the glass. Complex black fruits with hints of earth and leather. Full bodied in the mouth with a silky feel. Tons of acidity and tannin. This has the structure for very long ageing. The oak is not yet well integrated Recommend not drinking this wine for at least a couple of years. This may be one of the best Macchia dei Goti’s yet.”
(Michael Cody – August 2009)
VIGNA MACCHIA DEI GOTI 2001
Taurasi DOCG
Drinking Window: 2010-2030
RP: 92 | 6 x 750ml | $80.82
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Description: We tasted this wine in Italy in November 2010 and it was in perfect drinking condition. Mature with floral, barnyard, leather and red fruit aromas and still fruity and structured on the palette. It will age well for at least another 10 years. This is a special wine. Gambero Rosso gave this vintage the prestigious three glasses rating.
Tasting Note: “The 2001 Taurasi Vigna Macchia dei Goti remains one of the top wines of its zone, even if it is somewhat different from the more muscle-flexing style of Feudi di San Gregorio or Salvatore Malodour. But this is, nonetheless, a large-framed and important wine, a wall-to-wall dark ruby in color with powerful, intense aromas of raspberries, tar, chocolate, and roasted coffee. The palate is dense and concentrated, but with a polish of tannins and a warmth on the finish which give it a style of its own. And it will be very long-lived indeed, to drink between 2006 and 2020.”
(Daniel Thomases - erobertparker.com - August 2004)
VIGNA MACCHIA DEI GOTI 2000
Taurasi DOCG
Drinking Window: 2010-2030
6 x 750ml | $87.49
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Description:
Tasting Note: “Ruby red colour. Showing signs of age. Still opaque to the rim. Closed nose at first that opened up after a few hours. Mature red fruit aromas. Still quite primary. Hints of flowers and earth. Velvety mouth feel with great body and nice mature red fruit flavours. Well balanced wine that is concentrated but not big. Medium length finish. Still in its infancy and will get better with a few more years in the cellar.” 90 points
(Michael Cody – October 2010)
VIGNA MACCHIA DEI GOTI 1999
Taurasi DOCG
Drinking Window: 2006-2020
GR 3 | 6 x 750ml | $94.96
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Description: We tasted this wine in Italy in November 2010 and it was in perfect drinking condition. Mature with floral, barnyard, leather and red fruit aromas and still fruity and structured on the palette. It will age well for at least another 10 years. This is a special wine. Gambero Rosso gave this vintage the prestigious three glasses rating.
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