Taurasi is the full bodied King of Campania. Made from Aglianico, Taurasi is renowned for its ageability. Unlike most producers, Perillo is doing much of the bottle aging for you. The 2010 vintage was only released in January 2022 and is still available on the market. Michele realized that his customers enjoyed the young Taurasi but fell in love with it when properly aged. By releasing it over a decade after its harvest, he’s able to provide a truly incredible experience. This Taurasi has wonderful prune and dried cranberry notes from bottle aging but also has a unique red currant note that comes through all of the dried fruit. Classical graphite and cigar box notes round out the wine providing complexity. While Perillo’s Taurasi has mellowed, it still has excellent structure and is suitable to pair with food — I recommend it with a steak — or on its own. This is a bottle to buy and enjoy now. It will last for half-a-decade or more in the cellar, but there really isn’t a need.
Perillo, Taurasi DOCG (Campania, Italy) 2010
By Vince Simmon