A while back we brought you the flagship Montevetrano Cabernet blend, a wine Robert Parker called “Sassicaia of the South”. Now we’re back with its baby brother, a whopper of a 100% pure Aglianico with TWO 94-point scores, yet still under $25.

Vinous went gaga over this bargain calling it, “A knockout wine, and the best Aglianico ever from Montevetrano” and Suckling agrees that it is “So enjoyable to taste.” Pronounced “kor-ay” – for heart in Italian – this wine screams terroir. You can’t really get to Southern Italy right now, but this will take you there.

The nose is all about dark smoky plums, pomegranate, cherry liqueur, truffles and ash. Bursting in the seams with riper berries, black, blue, and purple, with savory herbs and spice defining the back palate. Sublime tannins wrap up the lenghty palate with a mineral tinge sprinkled with a piquant note on the impressive finish. Neapolitan pizza is the perfect match, either a classic margherita, marinara, or topped with mushrooms and sausage.

Riccardo Cotarella is one of Italy’s most successful oenologists and winemakers. He has been named Winemaker of the Year by Wine Enthusiast, Best Italian winemaker by Gambero Rosso, “one of the most influential wine personalities in the world” by Robert Parker and “one of the best in Italian winemaking” by the Wine Spectator, that writes; “Coterella says Montevetrano was the father of his career, teaching him that Italy wasn’t only Tuscany and Piedmont, but a wealth of winemaking regions with secrets nobody had revealed.”

Grown just two miles inland from the Mediterranean at the stretch of the breathtaking Amalfi Coast, Montevetrano is, without a doubt the crown jewel of Southern Italian wine. Robert Parker is a big fan, “The delightful and inspirational Silvia Imparato is a larger-than-life figure on the Campania wine scene. Her work with Consulting Enologist Riccardo Cotarella over the years has forever raised the bar on the region’s vinous identity. Back with her first vintage of Montevetrano in 1991, she proved that great wines could be made here (especially in the unlikely Salerno area south of Naples where few other wineries exist).”

Load up that cart to your heart’s content, who knows how long this beauty will last?

94 Points - Antonio Galloni’s Vinous

“Proprietor Silvia Imparato is one of the early pioneers in the world of Campanian enology. Originally trained as a photographer, Imparato came to winemaking accidentally when one of her clients invited her to join a wine tasting group in Rome in the 1980s. Over the course of the following years, Imparato had the opportunity to taste many of the world’s great bottles on a regular basis. On a lark, she thought she would try to make wine at her family’s small estate in Salerno. She enlisted the help of consulting oenologist Riccardo Cotarella, and together they created Montevetrano, the wine that launched Campania in a big way around the world. Very deep purple-ruby; this is very dark for an Aglianico wine. Delicate on the nose and remarkably light on its feet, offering sweet blueberry, red cherry, sweet spice and floral flavors, similar to the aromas, that linger impressively on the juicy, long, clean finish. A knockout wine, and the best Aglianico ever from Montevetrano. Drink 2019-2024.”

94 Points - James Suckling

“Extremely well crafted with ultra-fine tannins and beautiful and subtle aromas and flavors of black fruit, black pepper and white pepper. Medium to full body. Polished and so enjoyable to taste. Can age beautifully. Drink or hold.”