The 2004 Terra di Lavoro is off the charts. Everything is in perfect balance. Silky, refined tannins frame an explosive core of dark red fruit, smoke, minerals, ash, bacon fat, leather and minerals. The 2004 continues to develop exquisitely in the glass, with layers of aromatics, fruit and structure that continue to blossom over the course of several hours. The 2004 still needs bottle age, as it is incredibly primary. Its elegance, however, is impossible to miss. This bottle is simply out of this world. It now seems pretty obvious I underestimated the wine when I first tasted it a few years ago. One day the 2004 will be viewed in the same league with Mastroberardino’s famous 1968 Taurasis as among the most monumental wines ever made in southern Italy. Anticipated maturity: 2016-2041. Terra di Lavoro, first produced in 1994, has quickly established itself as one of Italy’s cult wines. I tasted all of these vintages with proprietors Arturo and Dora Celentano during their first visit to the US. The Celentanos have a huge passion for food and wine, and that exuberance comes through loud and clear in these fabulous wines. Terra di Lavoro is 80% Aglianico and 20% Piedirosso from vines planted by consulting oenologist Riccardo Cotarella beginning in 1991. The fruit is harvested according to ripeness rather than strictly by variety, which means that Aglianico and Piedirosso are sometimes picked and vinified together. After the alcoholic fermentation, the wines are racked into French oak where they remain on their lees for several months. Cotarella describes Aglianico as a hard grape to take through malolactic fermentation. He therefore believes it is essential for the final blend to be made before the wines go into malo. The final blend is assembled and undergoes what is usually a very slow malo, in steel for 80-90% of the wine, prior to being moved back into oak. There is little question that malolactic fermentation in stainless steel contributes significant freshness and aging potential to this heroic southern Italian wine.