2005 Selvanova Terre del Volturno Aglianico Duo

Tastes like: Blackberry, plum
Pairs with: Fatty steak, short-rib ragù over tagliatelle
Good for: Special occasions, weekend red
Drink this: Now through 2020
Alcohol: 14%

2 x 2005 Selvanova Terre del Volturno Aglianico

When I was a sommelier at The Modern, Aglianico was the wine I poured for two very different types of diners. Type 1: adventuresome folks who asked me to surprise them. Type 2: pursed-lipped wine snobs who turned their noses up at paying a bit more for an Italian red that wasn't a Brunello or Barbaresco. This wine was invariably a game-changing eye-opener for both groups. It is an out-and-out winner with robustly flavored dishes, even though it's no slouch in the flavor camp. With big tannins and high acidity, well-made Aglianico can cellar right alongside your Barolos or Amarones.

The 2005 Selvanova Terre del Volturno Aglianico hails from Campania, a region just above the toe of Italy's boot. The last blip Campania made on wine lovers' radar was at the height of the Roman Empire when the region had the equivalent cache of Piedmont and Tuscany combined. Until the last 20 years, wine made there was mostly for local consumption. But following the lead of other European countries, the Italian government provided the funds for cooperatives to make their own wine, and viticulture has since grown by leaps and bounds. It may be some time before modern Aglianico is viewed in the same way Roman emperors beheld their prized Falernian, but if this exceptional wine is any indication, that day is around the corner.

Tasting Notes
Although it's from 2005, you wouldn't guess that from its consistent, inky purple hue. The sole sense of the years this wine has spent in the bottle is on its layered nose. Savory, meaty notes, and perhaps those of washed-rind cheeses, wafted from the glass first before giving way to macerated blackberry and plum. In the mouth, the bouquet's savory qualities continue along with a fresh blackberry note on the mid-palate. The slightly tamed but still burly, dry tannins beg for a fatty steak or short-rib ragù over tagliatelle. Decant it for 30 minutes before serving.

—Alexis Brock

Alexis Brock started her restaurant career 12 years ago, on the hot and smoky side of the stainless-steel divide, at the legendary New York restaurant, Gramercy Tavern. After moving to the front of house and joining the establishment’s award-winning wine program, Brock went on to hold sommelier positions at L’Atelier in The Ritz-Carlton Central Park South, Alto and The Modern. Brock also spent three years in Melbourne, Australia, as head sommelier at Circa, the Prince. Since returning to America, Brock has made wine at Littorai, in Sonoma, and earned her Diploma in Wines and Spirits from the Wine & Spirit Education Trust. She is currently a Master of Wine candidate.