Luigi Tecce - The Prince of Taurasi
From John Gilman's View from the Cellar #63: "Luigi Tecce is clearly amongst the very finest, if not the finest, winemakers in Taurasi today and he will be a superstar in the very near future...the Bruno Giacosa of the region." I've heard similar superlatives from many people I respect in the industry, including the phrase "the Prince of Taurasi" on more than one occasion. Up until a few weeks ago, I haven't had the opportunity to experience the wines firsthand. Upon tasting the new releases I can safely say I am a convert, and also feel slightly foolish I haven't taken the time to explore these stunning, terroir-driven wines earlier.
Taurasi is one of Italy's most historic volcanic growing regions, with its winemaking origins going back to Greco-Roman times, as long ago as 800BC. Tecce is one of the great traditionalists in the region, forgoing the over-oaked and over-extracted fashion of Taurasi wines from the 80s and 90s for wines of powerful elegance. The grapes grow in the high-altitude Sud-Alta Valle commune of Taurasi, on a complex soil layering of sand, limestone and Vesuvian pumice. Fermentation takes place in large chestnut tini and the wines age in large oak vessels (botti grande), that fully highlight the qualities of the unique volcanic terroir.
With quanities extremely limited, we're very happy offer a new vintage of the Campi Taurasini Satyricon, as well as a few bottles of the previous release. A new wine is showing up as well, the Puro Sangue, which is a real treat, and should be a contender for any serious Italian wine collector's cellar, though it does offer great pleasure and intrigue now. Enjoy!
-Oskar Kostecki
