2015 Villa Capri Aglianico, Puglia, Italy
Aromas of intense red fruits, leather, and pepper waft from this wine.  The palate is robust, with layered notes of black and red cherry, plum, game, and white pepper leading up to a dry, lasting finish.

Food Pairing: With its high tannins and acidity, Aglianico is a great pairing for rich meats with high fat content such as oxtail, venison, and rabbit.  Umami rich dishes such as tempeh and black beans will also accompany this wine well.

Vineyards: The Villa Capri resides on the crest of a hillside in Puglia, Italy.  Located in the "heel" of Italy, the Puglia growing region is the home of Aglianico.  This full-bodied grape is native to southern Italy and produces concentrated wines with balanced acidity, even when grown in hot conditions.  Vintage 2015 was certainly a test of that, with a hot, dry growing season that included the hottest month on record.  Despite these extremes, the 15-year-old Aglianico vines flourished.  As a native grape, Aglianico prefers hot and dry conditions, growing in well-draining sand soil.  The vines also managed to escape the excessive heat due to vineyard elevation of 100 meters.  Although not very high, the slight elevation allows for sea breezes from the Adriatic Sea to help ease high daytime temperatures.  A slow-ripening variety, these grapes were harvested on October 10th.  A 10-day maceration period followed by stainless steel fermentation preserve primary fruit characteristics to shine through in an approachable style.