TAURASI DOCG

If you really want to Geek out, Ian D’Agata’s Native Italian Terroirs has an extensive, in depth write up of Taurasi. I highly recommend it for anyone in the Industry.

The Name: Taurasi DOCG

The Taurasi DOCG was formed in 1993 and was southern Italy’s first DOCG. Rightfully so, as it proves that southern Italy is indeed capable of wines that rival the crowned “King” (Barolo made from the Nebbiolo grape in Piemonte, northern Italy). Today, Taurasi  is a medieval city located within the larger Iripina DOC and within the province of Avellino, though its roots pre-date its medieval aesthetic. Taurasi’s name comes from “Taurus”, the mythical bull that was the symbol for the ancient Samnite (pre-Roman) occupants. 

The denomination allows for two different labels: Taurasi DOCG and Taurasi Riserva DOCG. For a wine to be a Taurasi DOCG it must be made with at least 85% Aglianico grape with up to 15%  Other Allowed Non-Aromatic Red Varieties-- OANRG (but most producers make Taurasi with 100% Aglianico), must age 3 years before release, and contain a minimum of 12% alcohol. At least 1 of the 3 years aging l must be in oak barrels. 

For a Riserva DOCG, the grape percentage stays the same, the aging requirement jumps to 4 years, of which 18mo must be in oak barrels, and the minimum alcohol increases to to 12.5%.

The History

Taurasi is in the larger area of Sannio, but before it was called Sannio, it was called Samnium. As mentioned in the previous section, the name comes from “Taurus”--the mythical bull was the symbol for the ancient Samnite occupants of the city-state of Taurasia, later calledTaurasium, once the Roman Empire took over. 

Before the major expansions of the Roman empire, southern Italy was composed of separate regions with disparate ruling tribes. Samnium was occupied by the Samnites who warred with the Roman Empire until mid 2nd c. BCE when they eventually succumbed to Roman occupation. 

After the collapse of the Roman Empire all the way to the unification of Italy in 1860, Campania was under the control of various ruling groups. Like the rest of southern Italy, Campania saw waves of different cultural peoples, attempting to claim the land as theirs. Today, the city best maintains its Medieval roots, but still houses reminders of its more ancient past, such as the Lombard castle in the center of town. The castle was first built during the Lombardo rule from 568 to 77 ( later rebuilt by the Normans is 1101 CE). 

Modern winemaking in this area started with the Mastroberadino family, who was exporting their wines as early as the first decade of the 1900s. Until recently (1990s recently), the Mastroberardino family was the only quality winemaker of the area producing wine for export. They carved the way, and did a darn good job of it, as now there are many truly noteworthy winemakers making fantastic and collectable wines in the area. 

While not pertaining to Taurasi, it is absolutely worth noting in this “History” section that aside from reviving quality winemaking in the area, the Mastroberadino family is also behind wine research at the ruins of Pompeii. Together with the Pompeii archaeology department, they began the Villa dei Misteri (or Villa of the Mysteries)project in which they researched the ancient vines and wine culture that prevailed in Pompeii before its destruction by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvio in 79CE. Apparently Pompeii was a happening place, with wine bars and adjoining underground cellars. 

Historians and ampelographers examined the imprints of vine roots left in the soil as well as performed DNA testing on grape seeds found at the site. They discovered that the vines growing in Pompeii were Piedirosso and Sciascinoso (aka olivella), both of which exist and grow in Campania today. As if the discovery itself weren’t enough, Mastroberardino planted these vines within the city walls of Pompeii and now produce a wine byapplying the ancient methods of long macerations (skin and seed contact) and amphora fermentation. 

The Land

Back to Taurasi…

Taurasi’s denomination comprises 17 communes that cover a range of soils, vineyard altitudes, and microclimates: Taurasi, Bonito, Castelfranci, Castelvetere sul Calore, Fontanarosa, Lapio, Luogosano, Mirabella Eclano, Montefalcione, Montemarano, Montemiletto, Paternopoli, Pietradefusi, Sant'Angelo all'Esca, San Mango sul Calore, Torre le Nocelle and Venticano.

Overall, the zone is not all that hot. The mountainous terrain and the River Calore that dissects the region spare the area of intense heat. Simultaneously, these reprieves provide the Aglianico vine its long growing season --extending the warmth into the fall months, without risk of overly ripe fruit. 

The mountainous area means different slope aspects (exposure to sun) and altitudes, both of which, in addition to the soil, will determine what kind of grapes the vines yield. The altitude of the entire zone ranges from 300-800m asl, though most grapes grow between 300 and 500m.

The weather here fluctuates. Due to its mountainous terrain and altitude, this particular zone verges on a continental climate. As you descend the Avellino mountains, the climate becomes more warm mediterranean. Some marked continental climate conditions in Taurasi are: significant temperature drop at night, marked seasonal changes with snow in the winter, and low rainfall throughout the year. 

Despite the DOCG being rather small, there is mesoclimate variation, with some areas harvesting weeks later than others. Areas that are lower in altitude are warmer and do not experience as much of a temperature change from day to night. This would mean that grapes ripen faster, are picked earlier and thus, achieve more ripeness (sugar). These wines made from riper fruit are more plush with higher alcohol content while those at higher altitudes tend to have higher acidity and are more red fruit driven rather than blue or black. 

Like the aspects and altitudes, the soils are also varied. What they do share in common is they all have a high proportion of calcareous-clay, which simultaneously enhances Aglianico’s (already high) acidity and power (tannin). In general, the soils of the area are volcanic in composition from the historic eruptions of Mt. Vesuvio. Volcanos, however, produce different mineral matter each time they erupt, and the seismic activity shifts soils around. You get the picture, it’s complicated. Some areas have sandstone and alluvial sediment, others are more volcanic in matter with pumice and tuff. In summary, you have an area with varying degrees of volcanic matter, alluvial deposits, sand, clay, limestone, and sandstone. 

In addition to providing wines with power and mineral depth, the loose volcanic soils of Taurasi protected the vines from phylloxera, the root-eating aphid that decimated European viticulture in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The well draining soils are not conducive to the pest, and they have a hard time surviving in these particular conditions. For this reason you will see “pre-phylloxera” thrown around when talking of this area. Vines here survived the phylloxera epidemic—they did not need replanting or grafting onto American rootstock like the rest of Europe’s vines. Some wineries in Taurasi are making wines from 100+ year old vines. In Guastaferro’s case, 200 year old vines!!! Amazing stuff. 

The Grapes

Aglianico and Piedirosso are the main allowable grapes in the Taurasi DOCG, but you will find that most (dare I saw, all?) Taurasi producers bottle 100% Aglianico. I wish I could explain better what the OANRG (Other Allowed Non-Aromatic Red Grapes) are, but this is rather difficult. I cannot even find access to these specific Italian wine laws. The closest law I can find is directly from the Taurasi Consorzio website, but it only goes as far to state that the red grapes allowed in the blend can only be “red berried grapes that are authorized in the province of Avellino.”

If you read above, you saw that Piedirosso is just as important of a varietal as Aglianico, with roots (literally, see “History” above) dating back to Pompeii. One could assume that if it was a readily available grape in 79 CE, then it had probably been in cultivation long before that date—so in other words, it’s ancient AF.  While it does not dominate in Taurasi, it surely has prominent holdings in other Campania wine regions. “Pee-eh-dee-ro-so”. “Piedi” means feet in Italian, and Rosso...well you guessed it. It means red foot/feet and it refers to the red stalks of the grape bunches. Because it is so ancient, there are many biotypes and each is hyper-local. For example, the Piedirosso that grows in Taurasi will differ from that grown in the province of Naples in the Campi Flegrei wine region, despite the fact that both of these areas exist within the region of Campania. Being widely cultivated and such an old variety, Piedirosso shows up in almost all of Campania’s wine denominations.

The same is true for the Aglianico grape. While all are thin skinned, incredibly tannic and pigmented, the Aglianico Biotype in Taurasi is smaller and less productive when compared to other regions’ Aglianico. It has a hard time during flowering and fertilization (the flowers become berries if properly fertilized), and some of the berries remain small and seedless (millerandage is the proper term) (D’Agata, Native Wine Grapes of Italy). This biotype also makes wine with less upfront fruitiness than that of the Vulture. Wines from Taurasi are why the term “Barolo of the South” exists—they show similar dried rose, tar, (darker) red fruit qualities, and comparable ageability.