2018 'Puro Sangue'
*formerly Taurasi DOCG

$86.99 on 3+ US Low (code: 3saves5)
$91.99 SALE
$99.99 reg

Luigi didn't produce Puro Sangue or Poliphemo in the 2017 vintage. In the 2018 vintage, he has decided to do away with the Taurasi DOCG and use the moniker R (Riserva) and 18 (2018); it's unlikely he'll return to Taurasi DOCG. Amalfi lemons and clove, cedar, sage, roasting chestnuts; a complex, elegant, finely woven nose. Puro Sangue is always a bit more put together than the wild child Polifemo, but this year it's like a bespoke Herringbone Tweed suit made by a Neapolitan tailor. The freshness here is remarkable, the lemon notes really come out, as does a vein of aged Chartreuse. Trust me on this one. - Importer

95+ VINOUS (2016) No score for the 2018 yet, but this note for the 2016 in the previous release encapsulates what a great vintage like 2018 in the zone can produce:
An unmistakable Aglianico bouquet of crushed rocks, flowery underbrush, ash, black olive and musky currants wafts up from the 2016 Taurasi Riserva Puro Sangue. It’s soft-textured yet racy in style, with stimulating acidity that enlivens its wild berry fruits as inner earth tones and savory herbs cascade throughout. The 2016 is almost juicy in style and quite complex, yet structured all the same. A web of edgy tannins and black licorice lingers, neatly balanced by sour citrus. While the 2016 is painfully young, I simply can’t pull myself away from the glass. Lovers of old-school Taurasi will absolutely love this.

Grape: 100% Aglianico
Place: Paternopoli Cru and Castelfranci subzones of Taurasi
Farming: practicing organic
Vineyard: 25 year-old vines, cordone speronato, planted at 1,800 ft ASL in sandy and clay limestone soils, enriched by pyroclastics (pumice from Vesuvius’s ancient volcanic eruptions)
Harvest Dates: between the end of October and beginning of November
Winemaking: Fermentation takes place in open chestnut tini for 40 days.
Aging: Élevage for 12 months in large 500 Liter puncheons, then 24 months in large wooden botti grandi (50HL). Finally, a minimum of 24 months in bottle before release.
ABV: 14%