At IWM, we've always believed in the primacy of people, both the people who make the wine and the people who drink it. IWM founder Sergio Esposito says, "We don't sell wine. We sell experiences." This assertion puts people at the center of our business--and for this reason we're proud to highlight two great wines made by two great Italian winemakers: Giacosa's Barbaresco Asili and Mastroberardino's Taurasi Radici.
Though cultivating in different regions--Giacosa from Piemonte and Mastroberardino from Campania--and though working in very different styles, with very different varieties, both the estates of Giacosa and Mastroberardino illustrate the importance of the person behind the wine. One of the Barolo greats, Bruno Giacosa is famously taciturn, a traditionalist who utilizes modern equipment, a man who makes wines as elegant and restrained the man himself. Antonio Mastroberardino single handedly brought back the indigenous Aglianico from the brink of extinction; his finesse with creating a gorgeous mono-varietal wine from that dark grape cemented his legacy (now carried on by sons Piero and Carlo) and brought the wines of Campania into the collective wine consciousness. These are visionary men and visionary estates, and a fierce sense of purpose binds them.
We're honoring these two Italian masters by offering Giacosa's Barbaresco Asili, the best of the Giacosa Barbarescos, and Mastroberardino's Taurasi Radici, the flagship wine of the estate. (And because we want to give our clients a full range of Italian wines, we're also offering two lesser-known, value-conscious wines from Le Marche's Castello Fageto and Sartarelli.) Beyond their beauty, their individual grace, and the gorgeous idiosyncrasy of the men behind them, these wines have little in common. Except for one other thing, both make human experience shine a little bit brighter, glow a little bit more warmly, and burn a bit more deeply into memory.
 Bruno Giacosa
Barbaresco Asili 2001, 750ml, $169.99**
Warm, open, sunny, and charming, Giacosa's 2001 Barbaresco Asili has a beguiling personality. Loads of plum and dark fruits layer with cedar, tar, flowers and spice to create a wine whose sum is greater than the total of its disparate parts. The word "classic" may be bandied about a bit too often, but this Barbaresco claims that title quietly and deliciously.
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 Mastroberardino
Taurasi Radici 2005, 750ml, $54.99**
If the Giacosa Barbaresco has the aspect of a sunny, precocious child, Mastroberardino's Taurasi Radici sits like a wise, content patriarch. The offspring of one of Italy's legendary winemakers, Antonio Mastroberardino, this Taurasi is the Campagnia's estate's flagship wine. It's an elegant, suave wine, brimming with fruit, restrained by silky tannins, and marked by masculine traits of bacon, herbs and leather. It's a stunner.
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Featured Everyday Wines Under $25
Castello Fageto Rosso Piceno 2008 $16.70
This 50/50 Sangiovese-Montepulciano bottling from Le Marche's Castello Fageto holds a big bang for a tiny buck. A bottle of bright red fruit, warmed by the sun and cooled by the Adriatic, this Rosso Piceno's fine structure, soft tannins, jaunty acidity and low price makes it a perfect everyday wine.
Sartarelli Verdicchio Tralivio 2008 $23.38
A lovely, light, winsome Verdicchio, Sartarelli sources from low-yielding, late-harvesting grapes to make its Tralivio. Although light in body, the Tralivio nonetheless has surprising structure, boldness and dryness, however reminiscent of pineapple and tart tropical fruits. If you're in the mood for a chewy white, reach for this Sartarelli Verdicchio Tralivio. |
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** Indicates pre-arrival. Wine expected late-October to early- November |
