One of Campania's flagship reds, the Feudi di San Gregorio 2017 Taurasi Riserva Piano di Montevergine bears some of the weight and softness of this infamously hot and dry growing season. The fruit comes from a beautiful site with volcanic sand and clay soils. The wine later ages in oak for 24 months (and 20,000 bottles are made). This edition is more open-knit and accessible compared to some of the recent past releases we may have set aside for long cellar aging.

This wine was not produced in the 2014 vintage. The excellent 2015 Taurasi Riserva Piano di Montevergine amply makes up for that gap thanks to its generous purple and black fruit. This is a terrific vintage with ample spice and smoke. Feudi di San Gregorio CEO Antonio Capaldo tells me that he likes 2015 more than 2016 and he likes 2017 best of all. I can't wait to review those finished wines over the next few years. The 2015 is more explosive and 2016 is more direct, fine and elegant. This wine shows extra volume in the mouth, making a great impact. Some of the historically best vintages of this important wine include 1999, 2001, 2010 and 2013. The jury is still out on whether this wine will be produced in the difficult 2018 vintage.

From a celebrated single vineyard recognized around the world, the 2013 Taurasi Riserva Piano di Montevergine shows beautifully in this vintage. This is a complete and generous expression of Aglianico with thick layering and full-bodied appeal. Fruit thrives at 700 meters above sea level, where nighttime diurnal shifts make a big impact on the quality and brightness of the aromas, especially in a balanced and slightly cool vintage such as this. Taurasi renders rich aromas of black fruit, spice and balsam herb. You get all of those here with abundance. This wine should hold a steady aging course for the next 20 years.

Tasted from barrel, the 2012 Taurasi Riserva Piano di Montevergine is a soft and generous expression with a pretty quality of fruit that is compelling and long-lasting. At this young stage in the wine's life, it shows soft layers of tobacco, leather, spice, dark fruit, blackberry preserves and pressed blueberry. Pretty mineral nuances fill in the rear. In the mouth, the wine delivers both acidic freshness and tannic firmness that will find balance over the long course of its future evolution.

Red fruit, cherry and dark prune open the bouquet of the 2011 Taurasi Riserva Piano di Montevergine. This is a slightly softer interpretation of Aglianico planted at 360 meters above sea level in sandy-ashy and pumice-rich volcanic terrain. Those well-draining soils have helped to keep the vines disease-free over time. This warmer vintage also shows a much rounder and more immediate mouthfeel with good tannic management. The wine offers pretty endnotes of tobacco, ash and savory spice.