Di Majo Norante Contado Riserva 2014
-
James
Suckling
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Ruby-red in color, aromas of ripe fruit and almonds complement undertones of leather and wood. On the palate, it is mellow and velvety with well-balanced tannins and a long finish. This wine is ideal with savory foods, starters, game, and cheeses. Pair this wine with roasted beef, Madeira sauces, grilled venison steaks, and brisket.
Professional Ratings
-
James Suckling
Great combination here of dried blackberries, dark cherries, meat and then lifted citrus and dried raspberries. Hints of balsamic. Full-bodied and very juicy, drawing plush strands of luscious dark fruit together and keeping them taut and fresh. Drink from 2022.
Other Vintages
2016- Vinous
-
James
Suckling -
Robert
Parker
Founded in 1968, the Di Majo estate cultivates more than 200 acres under vine. In order to ensure consistent, high-quality production for all the estate’s wines, Alessio Di Majo hired renowned oenologist Riccardo Cotarella as a consultant. In addition to producing quality wine at an outstanding value, the Di Majo family is dedicated to practicing environmentally sound agriculture. The Di Majo Norante winery sits on the estate of the Marquis Norante of Santa Cristina in the region of Molise, along the Adriatic Sea between Puglia and Abruzzo. The cultivation of vines in this area dates back to 500 BC, when the region was inhabited by two pre-Roman civilizations, the Sanniti and the Osci. The estate has been dedicated to growing vines since the 1800s. In the 1960s a modern cantina was constructed and vines were replanted in the Ramitello area. Optimal exposure, constant breezes during the summer, excellent soil composition and a slope toward the Sciabolone and Madonna Grande valleys combine to create a particularly favorable environment for the production of wine here.
Making its home in the mountainous southern Italy, Aglianico is a bold red variety that is late to ripen and often spends until November on the vine. It thrives in Campania as the exclusive variety in the age-worthy red wine called Taurasi. Aglianico also has great success in the volcanic soils of Basilicata where it makes the robust, Aglianico del Vulture. Somm Secret—The name “Aglianico” bears striking resemblance to Ellenico, the Italian word for "Greek," but no evidence shows it has Greek ancestry. However, it first appeared in Italy around an ancient Greek colony located in present-day Avellino, Campania.
This mountainous region south of Abruzzo comes in second after Valle d’Aosta as Italy’s smallest and least populated region. Wine production is largely reserved for cooperatives with the main varieties as Montepulciano d’Abruzzo and Trebbiano d’Abruzzo. Plantings of grape varieties from its neighboring region of Campania—whites Fiano and Greco di tufo and the red, Aglianico—have increased recently.