2011 Nativ Eremo San Quirico Irpinia Campi Taurasini

Yeah, say that wine name 5 times fast!  I ordered this wine recently from Wines Till Sold Out as it often provides nice opportunities to try different wines that you might not come across in your everyday wine travels.  In this case we have a wine based on Aglianico grapes from the Campania region of Italy (for those without a map handy, that's a region on the front of the ankle of the "boot" of Italy).  I've had a few wines based on Aglianico before and they are usually very pleasant, dark and brooding, so let's see how this one turned out!

The wine is an inky black color at the center of the glass that becomes a bright ruby along the edges.  The nose presents aromas of ripe black fruit, blackberry, plum and black cherry intermingled with some vanilla bean and plenty of oak.  The taste is quite nice, with luscious black fruit at the outset with transitions to some lovely warm spice notes midpalate.  The tannins are supple, providing for a velvety smooth and very dry finish, that dares you to have another sip.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, it's a very nice expression of the varietal and it was a value as well at just $20.  The wine would be ideal with a variety of southern Italian dishes, the classics like pasta with red sauce, or lovely Sicilian Pasta alla Norma, but tonight I am going completely off the grid, pairing this wine with a classic Chicago dish of Slotkowski kielbasa with potato pierogis, grilled onions and sauerkraut!  I know it's random, but it really works!