Villa Raiano, Taurasi 2019

Taurasi may not be a household name in the way Barolo is, but it shares the same serious, age-worthy, food-loving character – just with deeper colour, darker fruit and, in time, a more velvety feel of its own. Here, two years in oak bring that out, with plum and blackberry to the fore and sandalwood-style oaky notes sitting in the background. A hint of violet and a sour-cherry and almond-skin twist at the finish work well with the fresh acidity. It’s a powerful, grippy wine, but with a balance that feels very composed.

Drinking well now but with plenty of years in hand, this is very much a food wine. Slow-cooked lamb or beef works well, the richness and fat matching the wine’s depth while the fresh acidity and tannin cut through and keep things in balance.

Villa Raiano may be a relatively young estate, but it hasn’t taken long for it to become one of Irpinia’s respected names for the region’s classic wines: Taurasi, Fiano di Avellino and Greco di Tufo. Since moving in 2009 to a purpose-built glass-and-steel winery on a hilltop in San Michele di Serino, overlooking the Sabato valley and surrounded by vineyards and chestnut woods, it has helped define a fresher, more terroir-led face of Irpinia. Medium-sized by regional standards, it combines modern precision with a clear focus on the area’s native grapes.