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More wines available from Cantine Lonardo
750ml
Bottle:
$20.94
Intense ruby red colored wine, dense and opaque. The nose is rich and lingering with hints of ripe fruits, balsamic...
750ml
Bottle:
$41.94
Intense ruby red colored wine, dense and opaque. The nose is rich and lingering with hints of ripe fruits, balsamic...
More Details
Winery
Cantine Lonardo
Vintage: 2011
The year 2011 was an interesting year for many northern and central European countries, as the weather was more than unpredictable in the spring and summer. However, in most countries, the climatic conditions thankfully settled down in the late summer and fall. The result of this slightly difficult year of weather in France was a set of surprisingly small yields, but overall, these yields were of a higher quality than those harvested in certain previous years. A fantastic set of wines was also made in Italy and Spain, and the Rioja wines - when released - are set to be very good indeed. Austria also had superb year in 2011, with almost fifty percent more grapes being grown and used for their distinctive Gruner Veltliner wines than in the year before. Possibly the European country which had the finest 2011, though, was Portugal, with wineries in the Douro region claiming this year to be one of the best in decades for the production of Port wine, and the bright, young Vinho Verdes wines.
In the New World, the Pacific Northwest saw some of the best weather of 2011, and Washington State and Oregon reportedly had a highly successful year, especially for the cultivation of high quality red wine grapes. Chile and Argentina had a relatively cool year, which certainly helped retain the character of many of their key grape varietals, and should make for some exciting drinking. South Africa had especially good weather for their white wine grape varietals, particularly Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, and many South African wineries are reporting 2011 as one of their best years in recent memory.
Varietal: Aglianico
Aglianico grapes have been cultivated in southern Italy for over two thousand years, and were once a very important grape to the ancient Romans, who adored the deep garnet colored wine it produced. Today, Aglianico grapes are grown in many parts of the world, and thrive best in hot, dry climates, and especially on volcanic soils. As such, they do particularly well in certain parts of the United States, where they are regularly used as a blending wine. Aglianico is a thick skinned black grape, and as such has a high tannin content which makes it ideal for aging The aging process mellows the often harsh tannins in the grape juice, making the wine more balanced and free to reveal flavors and aromas of dark fruits, plum and chocolate. It is also a highly acidic wine, and in some parts of the world is given over to noble rot in order to make an intense and slightly viscous sweet dessert wine.
Region: Campania
Campania may well be Italy's oldest wine region, with a history which spans over three thousand years and has endured throughout the rising and falling of empires. Today, the region's wine industry is as strong as ever, and consistently producing excellent wines of character and distinction, thanks to the dedication the wineries of Campania have for quality over quantity, and the love they have for their traditions and time honored practices. Of course, the region is helped enormously by the ideal climatic conditions it receives on the west coast of Italy, and the fact that the soils of Campania could be amongst the finest on earth for viticulture. For thousands of years, Campania has been the beating heart of the Italian wine industry, and this is one thing which is unlikely to change any time soon.
Country: Italy
There are few countries in the world with a viticultural history as long or as illustrious as that claimed by Italy. Grapes were first being grown and cultivated on Italian soil several thousand years ago by the Greeks and the Pheonicians, who named Italy 'Oenotria' – the land of wines – so impressed were they with the climate and the suitability of the soil for wine production. Of course, it was the rise of the Roman Empire which had the most lasting influence on wine production in Italy, and their influence can still be felt today, as much of the riches of the empire came about through their enthusiasm for producing wines and exporting it to neighbouring countries. Since those times, a vast amount of Italian land has remained primarily for vine cultivation, and thousands of wineries can be found throughout the entire length and breadth of this beautiful country, drenched in Mediterranean sunshine and benefiting from the excellent fertile soils found there. Italy remains very much a 'land of wines', and one could not imagine this country, its landscape and culture, without it.