Mastroberardino Villa dei Misteri 2008

The Mastroberardino family, leaders in Italian viticulture, are largely responsible for the revival and elevation of Irpinian and Campanian winemaking post WWII. Their efforts ignited a resurgence in quality red and white wine production in all of Southern Italy. Working primarily with Campania’s ancient, native varieties, Fiano, Greco, and Aglianico, Mastroberardino has resuscitated would-be extinct grapes into world class varieties. In 1996, Mastroberardino was selected by the Italian government to lead the Villa dei Misteri (Villa of Mysteries) project, whose goal was to recreate the wines made in ancient Pompeii using the grapes and techniques of the period. This is a blend of Piedirosso, Aglianico, and Sciascinoso, local indigenious varieties. This wine had aromas of cherries, plums, raspberries and black pepper. It has restrained tannins and balanced acidity. It is aged at the winery for 12 months in barriques and 5 years in bottle.