1968 Mastroberardino Taurasi Riserva Montemarano

Italian wine fans know that 1968 is an iconic year for Mastroberardino and the only year in which the estate produced a bevy of stunning wines, including three single-vineyard Taurasi Riservas from the Montemarano, Castelfranci and Pian d'Angelo districts. The 1968 Taurasi Riserva Montemarano is still in great shape, with plenty of the earthy, feral notes that make Aglianico and Taurasi so distinctive. This bottle shows a bit of volatile acidity, but that is not enough to detract from its purebred character. The 1968 Montemarano brings back a flood of memories from a remarkable vertical with Piero Mastroberardino in 2013 that featured wines all the way back to 1928. Cioria is thrilled to see a wine from his native Avellino show so well next to two Piedmont heavyweights. So am I. What a wine!