Giornata Aglianico Luna Matta Vineyard 2018
-
James
Suckling - Vinous
-
Robert
Parker - Decanter
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
A study in extremes, this year’s Luna Matta Aglianico is another blockbuster-styled westside Paso red. We’ve slightly shifted our winemaking technique (very delicate extraction, extended maceration, etc.) over the years to tame the beast inside this wine, yet it remains every bit the highlight of intensity in their lineup. This year’s version follows in the exotic and intense steps of its predecessors. It starts with a nose of grilled meat, iron, boysenberry, peppercorn and sandalwood. The palate is dense with dark fruit - blackberry, cinnamon, and menthol with notes of game and leather. Rich, chewy, and stacked on the palate with loads of tannin and acidity.
Professional Ratings
-
James Suckling
Deep and brooding nose with some black pepper jumping out from the blackberries, graphite, oyster sauce and some cocoa powder. Dense and broad on the full-bodied palate with firm and juicy tannins. Drink or hold.
-
Vinous
Inky ruby. Deep, spice-accented cherry and dark berry aromas, along with hints of tobacco and menthol. Weighty but lively as well, offering focused bitter cherry, candied violet and espresso flavors and a touch of spiciness. The long, subtly chewy finish features a numbing suggestion of white pepper and a repeating cherry note.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2018 Aglianico Luna Matta Vineyard has a fuller expression than the French Camp, and it will be a great candidate for pairing with grilled meats. Deep ruby-purple, it has pure aromas of cast iron, fernet, dried flowers, leather and cigar, a core of broody black fruits and a full-bodied palate with pleasant chew and earth-laced fruits.
-
Decanter
Compelling and subtle old rose aromas with a hint of blood. Palate is intensely savoury and ferrous; driven and vibrant as all Giornata’s wines. The intensity of flavours continues throughout the palate, not letting up for one moment. This demands food and would enliven any table. The high acidity ensures a long life ahead – at least eight to 10 years.
Other Vintages
2017-
Robert
Parker
-
Jeb
Dunnuck
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.
Paso Robles has made a name for itself as a source of supple, powerful, fruit-driven Central Coast wines. But with eleven smaller sub-AVAs, there is actually quite a bit of diversity to be found in this inland portion of California’s Central Coast.
Just east over the Santa Lucia Mountains from the chilly Pacific Ocean, lie the coolest in the region: Adelaida, Templeton Gap and (Paso Robles) Willow Creek Districts, as well as York Mountain AVA and Santa Margarita Ranch. These all experience more ocean fog, wind and precipitation compared to the rest of the Paso sub-appellations. The San Miguel, (Paso Robles) Estrella, (Paso Robles) Geneso, (Paso Robles) Highlands, El Pomar and Creston Districts, along with San Juan Creek, are the hotter, more western appellations of the greater Paso Robles AVA.
This is mostly red wine country, with Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel standing out as the star performers. Other popular varieties include Merlot, Petite Sirah, Petit Verdot, Syrah, Grenache and Rhône blends, both red and white. There is a fairly uniform tendency here towards wines that are unapologetically bold and opulently fruit-driven, albeit with a surprising amount of acidity thanks to the region’s chilly nighttime temperatures.