The 2001 Camarato (80% Aglianico and 20% Piedirosso) is an awesome effort. This very youthful wine delivers an exciting array of black cherries, new leather, spices, earthiness and roasted coffee beans. It is a powerful wine, yet there is a lovely core of fruit underneath that needs a few years of bottle age to fully emerge. Anticipated maturity. 2010-2021.Proprietors Tani and Maria Ida Avallone run this estate located outside Naples, in the province of Caserta, where the history of viticulture spans several centuries. The mineral-rich soils yield wines of uncommon complexity and elegance. The estate works with a selection of ancient clones of the area’s indigenous varieties that were re-discovered several decades ago and subsequently re-planted throughout the vineyards. Riccardo Cotarella is the consulting oenologist. Unlike many estates in the region, Villa Matilde excels with both reds and whites. Notes on some of Villa Matilde’s value-priced wines can be found in my Best Buys from Italy article available at www.erobertparker.com.Importer: Empson, USA, Alexandria, VA; tel. (703) 684-0900

Dark in color and deep in concentration, this is a ripe Aglianico-Piedirosso (80-20) blend with tones of mature red cherry, beets, roasted peanut, espresso and roasted red pepper. It’s a big wine in every sense with a sticky, almost syrupy consistency, power and firm tannins.——M.L.(8/1/2007)—— 91