Aglianico, Villa Matilde, Campania, Italy 2015

Villa Matilde

Villa Matilde is located in the province of Caserta and comprises three properties: Tenuta di San Castrese e Parco Nuovo, Rocca dei Leoni and Tenuta di Altavilla.

The estate totals 140 hectares, shared among vines and also olive groves. The vineyards are planted on hillsides of volcanic origin, facing the sea which is only about 10 kilometres away. This ensures they benefit from a cooling sea breeze, mitigating the warmth of the midday sunshine and protecting the freshness and acidity of the grapes. The estate is best known for being proponents of the Falerno vine training system, a technique which can be traced back to the ancient Greeks.

Initially beginning as a hobby, winemaker Francesco Avallone began to study the ancient qualities of Falerno in the 1950s. It involved raising the vines off the ground, instead of letting them grow freely on the soil as was normal practise in region, assisting the grapes in adapting to their climate. During his studies, Franceso managed to uncover 20 old vines that had been trained in this system, and he opted to use them for the basis of his techniques across the vineyards of Villa Matilde.

Aglianico 2015

100% Aglianico. Full bodied yet well rounded with velvety tannins and rich flavours of wild blackberries  and  red  berries.  The  finish  is  long  and  spicy,  lifted  by  an  extremely appetising freshness.