Taurasi has been referred to as the "Barolo of the South" due to its ability to deliver long-aging, deeply complex and aristocratic wines.

But it has always seemed that people spoke endlessly about the potential of Taurasi without having examples to totally affirm its greatness.

Of course, they could cite Mastroberadino's legendary trio of 1968 Taurasi, which are some of the greatest Italian wines of our time. After that, though, things got dicey.

That changed when Luigi Tecce hit the scene. There's simply something about them that's amazing. And we should just come out and say that 2012 is a breakout vintage for Tecce. Everything seems to have fallen into place perfectly.

Tecce's Taurasi have an incredible ability to capture the rugged nobility of the Aglianico grape. These are wines that express the wild complexity and intensity of the grape with supreme elegance. One has to suspect that it's this signature that inspired John Gilman to name Tecce "the Bruno Giacosa of the region."

In 2012, you get the whole package - incredible finesse and a brooding, hauntingly nuanced, crushing intensity. It has a fortress-like tannic structure and insane complexity with notes ranging from dried red fruits, to spice, tar, smoke, flowers and herbs. One of the things that makes Tecce so compelling is the wine's clarity of expression, and the 2012 is really impressive in this regard.

Tecce follows old-school methods. The wines are fermented in large chestnut barrels and then macerated for forty days before ending up in large botti. The old vines that go into the Poliphemo bottling are in prime high-altitude locations.

It's clear that Tecce has a special touch with Taurasi that separates him from the pack. Tasting these wines, you sense that they're made more on intuition than technical know-how, and it endows them with captivating soulfulness. It's only a matter of time before word is out on them.

To order, please email us at offers@crushwineco.com or call the store at (212) 980-9463.

Joe Salamone

Wine Buyer
Crush Wine & Spirits