2016 Luciano Ercolino Vinosia Santandrea Taurasi 750 ml

Luciano Ercolino is one of the most important figures in Southern Italian wine. His visionary approach helped him found Feudi di San Gregorio—now one of the most important wineries in the region—with the express goal of modernizing Campanian viticulture and winemaking. 

He and his brother, Marco, made their reputation producing reds of exemplary texture, intensity, and power, harnessing the region’s abundant sunshine and polishing the tannins of the historically rustic Aglianico grape.

Now, Luciano operates his own winery—Vinosia—and his commitment to quality is higher than ever. At the helm of winemaking is Beppe Caviola, who’s won the most prestigious winemaking prize in Italy, Gambero Rosso’s Enologist of the Year. Caviola counts some of the most famous names in the boot as clients and his impact on this bottling is apparent in its polish and poise.

Aglianico is “one of the world’s dozen or so best wine grapes,” in the words of famed wine writer Ian d’Agata, and it reaches its apotheosis in the Taurasi appellation east of Naples.

2016 was an outstanding vintage and the Vinosia team were able to pick grapes well into November under perfect conditions. That long season developed flavors thoroughly and allowed tannins to soften into velvet. A 15-day maceration struck a perfect balance between fruit, structure, and drinkability, and then aging in barriques for over a year molded the wine into its current form.

This is a bottle to drink alongside grilled chicken or steaks—ideally with a garlicky compound butter to finish them off and a little chopped rosemary as an accent—but it will elevate a burger night into the stratosphere. The wine is aged perfectly right now, with time to go in the cellar but an approachable personality.