1968 Mastroberardino, Taurasi Riserva

Summer BBQs with friends who are equally obsessive about wines has its advantages: they bring extraordinary wines instead of flowers. Choosing your friends wisely always pays off, not only in laughter, good times, support, and love, but with fabulous (and sometimes famous) juice.

Tonight’s line-up of wines did not disappoint. The marvel of the evening was no doubt the legendary 1968 Mastroberardino Taurasi Riserva from Campania, Italy. Made from 100% Aglianico, grapes were harvested by hand and destemmed. Maceration on the skins took place for a total of 10 days to extract the desired amount of color, tannins, and flavor complexity. Post fermentation, this wine was aged for approximately 36 months in large Slavonian casks made of chestnut and about 8 years in bottle before release. Only 20,000 bottles (just over 1,600 cases) of the 1968 vintage were produced.

Nearly 50 years later, this wine was a dreamy, ageless paragon. Primary aromas and flavors were still vibrant, leading with raspberries, red cherries, a mix of dusty rose and fresh violets, crushed mint, and a dash of black pepper. Secondary notes included soft and subtle oak, a mere whisper of vanilla and sweet chocolate. Waves of tertiary notes followed, with swells of spicy tobacco, forest floor after the first rain, and portabella mushrooms. This wine was dry, with medium (+) acidity, medium alcohol, medium body, pronounced aroma and flavor intensity, and medium, fine-grained tannins. The finish was no doubt long with such intricate complexity.

Although Taurasi is located in the heart of Campania (think east and inland from Naples), the climate is cool. Vacation-hot temperatures are moderated by elevation, as Taurasi is located on an elevated plateau that reaches above 1,600 feet above sea level. At higher elevations, the sun’s rays are intense during the day, but nighttime temperatures fall significantly, creating a wide diurnal shift. This extends the growing season, a requirement for the thick-skinned, late-ripening Aglianico grape variety to reach full sugar and phenolic ripeness.

While Mastroberardino started producing wine back in 1878, the 1968 vintage was considered to be particularly stellar—seriously out of this world. With just a few drops of rainfall, the 1968 vintage was particularly warm and dry for Taurasi. The land offered a generous crop with over-the-top concentration of flavors, color, and tannins within each grape, the precise recipe required for remarkable wines with longevity. In this year, Mastroberardino produced three special cuvées of Taurasi, based on terroir differences, as well as this Riserva, a blend from all three.

Tonight was an extravaganza of seafood! Remember my rule about wine pairings? Correct! There are no rules. Enjoy the wine and food you are with. Period.

Chef Marilee’s menu included:

Devilled crab dip (spiced with smoked paprika and fresh tarragon and parsley)
Fogmore seafood stew (Alaskan king crab legs, prawns, littleneck clams, cod, corn, and potatoes) with Old Bay aioli
Summer bean salad (haricot verts, fava beans, lima beans, corn) with potlikker vinaigrette
Marinated watermelon (Champagne vinaigrette, shallots, ginger, olive oil) with whipped feta, garnished with pink and black peppercorns, sumac, and cayenne
Buttermilk biscuits with salty sorghum butter (compliments of my hubby!)
Brandied peaches with mascarpone, cognac, and clove gelato

And here is the complete line-up of wines shared on this perfect evening together: