Campania Stories 2025 Part Two: Buyer’s Guide Rosso e Rosato

By John Szabo, MS

The 14th edition of Campania Stories, the annual preview tasting of new vintages from all regions in Campania, Italy, unfolded this year in Ercolano (Herculaneum) on the western slopes of Vesuvius, just outside of Napoli.

The Bay of Naples and Vesuvius from the Island of Procida ©John Szabo

See the Part One with Introduction and Buyer’s Guide to White Wines

Jump to the Category:

Aglianico
Piedirosso
Red Blends
Other Red Varieties
Rosato

As noted in part one, Campania is a haven for native varieties, especially white grapes. And yet there are two stand out red grapes that represent the majority of plantings: aglianico and piedirosso. These are the two varieties on which I focused my tastings, especially the former’s expression from the Taurasi DOCG in the Province of Avellino, and the latter from denominations around Naples, especially the Campi Flegrei and Ischia.

Aglianico
Aglianico is one of the great red varieties of Italy, producing deeply coloured, sturdy, high tannin and high acid wines, capable of long ageing. I love its pot pourri-like perfume, spicy and floral with a dusting of savoury dark fruit and leathery notes. The current vintages on offer ranged from 2022 back to 2015, with the majority from 2019-2020-2021.
Taurasi is the headlining DOCG under which you’ll find the finest examples of pure aglianico, with exceptional longevity. For earlier enjoyment, look the Campi Taurasini DOC, which covers pretty much the same territory, but which comes with shorter ageing requirements, sort of the Rosso di Montalcino equivalent to Brunello di Montalcino, or the Langhe Nebbiolo to Barolo.
For an example of the towering grandeur of which aglianico Taurasi is capable, seek out the wines of former theology student Gian Luca Mazzella. Paterico, a trademarked name derived from the Patericon, an important series of books on theology, is the only wine made at Mazella’s tiny estate, first released with the 2019 vintage. But Mazzella is hardly new to the business; he has been in the fine wine business as a consultant to a long list of famous estates, and especially a wine lover, for over 30 years. Quality aspirations are at the highest level, with yields kept to about a quarter of the regional average. Mazzella farms six high elevation parcels, the highest of which is at 530m near the village of Paternopoli where the winery itself is located.
Viticulture is tuned to a very fine degree, allowing grapes to be harvested late, at full phenolic ripeness at just 13.5%. Macerations are exceptionally long, at least 2.5 months, necessary in Mazzella’s view to allow aglianico’s sometimes-fierce tannins time to polymerize and soften. The wine is then treated to equally long cask ageing, three years in large botte with particularly thick, untoasted staves to slow oxygen ingress and limit any wood flavour. The results, at least in the first three vintages released, are outstanding, paradigm-shifting wines, and this is an approach to follow. (Note that Mazzella does not participate in Campania Stories. I visited and tasted with Mazzella on an earlier trip to the region in March.)
Other top producers of aglianico from Taurasi tasted over the course of Campania Stories include Donnachiara, Joaquín, Feudi di San Gregorio, Cavalier Pepe, Cantina Lonardi, Stefania Barbot, Tenuta Pietrafusa di Valla Matilde Avallone and I Capitani.

Piedirosso
Piedirosso, aka Per e’ Palummo, on the other hand, is much the opposite of aglianico: relatively pale in colour with low tannins and acids. These characteristics explain why historically it has been blended with aglianico to soften up the blend in denominations like Lacryma Christi Rosso and Falerno del Massico.
On its own, it’s a challenge to grow and vinify. As I noted in part one of this series on the whites of Campania, by the time piedirosso’s seeds are ripe, the acids have usually dropped perilously low and pH has shot up, leaving it prone to spoilage, particularly from brettanomyces, notable in several bottles. Its lighter tannin structure also leaves it more prone to oxidation and the development of volatile acidity, and elevated levels of acetic acid were also frequently detected.
But when proper farming in a great volcanic terroir and conscientious winemaking come together, the results are delicious. These are soft, red-fruited wines with light, velvety tannins and smooth acids, best enjoyed with a light chill. As such, piedirosso could be considered the most stylistically contemporary red from the region. Look to instructional examples like La Sibilla’s Campi Flegrei Piedirosso, a wine of medium red colour with pure red fruit, predominantly in the cherry spectrum, honest, open, unfettered, with an appealing fleshy palate with no hard edges.
For fans of more natural-leaning wines, seek out the wines from Raffaele Moccia under his Agnanum label, named for the commune in the Campi Flegrei where his 4 hectares of vineyards are located. His Campania IGT Piedirosso Sabbia Vulcanica is a fine example, open and oxidative but not oxidized, delivering pulpy red fruit flavours, mostly cherry and plum, with juicy acids and light, ripe, velvety tannins.

In most cases, piedirosso wines are best enjoyed over the near term, with only rare examples worth cellaring more than 2-3 years.

Read on for the Buyer’s Guide to best of each variety out of nearly 100 wines tasted, as well as top red blends and a sprinkling of other native red varieties.

Buyer’s Guide: Aglianico
97 Gian Luca Mazzella Paterico 2021, Taurasi Riserva
Paterico is the only wine made at this tiny estate run by former theology student Gian Luca Mazzella, first released with the 2019 vintage. Paterico is a trademarked name, after the Patericon, an important series of books on theology. But Mazzella is hardly new to the business; he has been in the fine wine business as a consultant, and wine lover, for over 30 years. Quality aspirations are at the highest level, with yields kept to about a quarter of the regional average, from high elevation vineyards, the highest parcel of the six of which is at 530m. Viticulture is tuned to a very fine degree, allowing grapes to be harvested late, at full phenolic ripeness at just 13.5%. It’s given at least 2.5 months maceration, and then aged three years in large botte with particularly thick, untoasted staves. Deeper in colour than the 2020, the 2021 is more forwardly fruity, dark, ripe but still very fresh, also with the floral side of aglianico intact, alcohol is under 14% here, though it’s a ripe vintage for Mazzella from a hot summer, yet harvested late on the 17th of November, a no stress year, he says. 3 months maceration. I love the gentle pepperiness alongside spicy red fruit, cherry and fresh plum, moving into truffles with air. The palate has significant density and weight, high drinkability, vertical and pure, precise, very dry without austerity, with exceptional length. Simply excellent wine, singular and paradigm-shifting. Tasted March 2025.

96 JOAQUIN Taurasi DOCG Riserva Buona Morte “B.M.” 2015
Sold only at auction, “B.M.”, named for the local church of Buona Morte is the top Taurasi from Joaquin. It’s made from an ancient vineyard in Paternopoli with 150+ year old vines grown using the starseta training system and spends a whopping 6 years in oak before another 4 in bottle, released after 10 years. This is a very mature, evolved and advanced, old-school wine with its walnut liquor, old wood, oxidative character – smells even older than 2015, an utterly unique expression to be sure, like dry Tawny port or Madeira, nutty and caramelized. The palate is broad and offers up sweet, dried fruit flavours, rich and nutty, with abundant but fine tannins, sandy and refined. Length is exceptional, this just goes on and on. A singular example with really no comparatives. I find it remarkable, a wine that at once looks to the distant past while also made with technical precision, yet without technology. 15.5% alcohol. Tasted May 2025.

Raffaele Pagano’s Joaquín Winery ©John Szabo

94 DONNACHIARA Taurasi DOCG Riserva 2020
Donnachiara’s current Riserva release, the fine 2020 is clean and still relatively youthful, with the vestiges of quality, integrated oak still noted, alongside a wide range of red and black fruit, fresh and desiccated, orange zest and wild resinous herbs, and more, in a complex expression. The palate offers succulent acids and fine-firm tannins, nicely sanded and polished without losing their swarthy aglianico DNA. Length is excellent. Accomplished wine; best from 2026-2035. Tasted May 2025.

93 DONNACHIARA Taurasi DOCG 2021
Clean, polished and precise, this is a dark-fruited Taurasi of unusual refinement and fleshy fruit extract, broad and satisfying, ripe and with a certain sucrosity, and a complete range of flavours. Length and depth are excellent. Well-crafted, professional wine with authentic regional character. Best from 2025-2032. Tasted May 2025.

93 TENUTE CAPALDO FEUDI DI SAN GREGORIO Taurasi DOCG Riserva Piano di Montevergine 2019
Still notably youthful nearly 6 years in, San Gregorio’s single vineyard Taurasi displays the vestiges of oak next to ripe black fruit, still fresh and not yet turned to the dried spectrum. The palate is nevertheless sleek and polished, with supple-firm tannins coated in fruit extract, well-balanced, with long, peppery finish. Lots to admire here in an accomplished and complex, polished wine. Tasted May 2025.

93 TENUTE CAPALDO – FEUDI DI SAN GREGORIO Taurasi DOCG ‘Rosamilla’ 2019
One of San Gregorio’s ‘studi’, experimental bottlings. Rosamilla is a dark and densely fruity example of Taurasi, with high fruit extract and broad, supple but firm tannic profile. Length is excellent. Seems a nicely polished and genteel version of the oft-swarthy grape, here with a little more refinement. Best now-2035. Tasted May 2025.

93 JOAQUIN Campania IGT Aglianico I Viaggiatori 2021
“I Viaggiatori”, “The Travellers”, is Rafaele Pagano’s declassified Taurasi, released unusually early for this micro estate that tends to age wines long term before release (the top Taurasi is not released before ten years ageing in the cellar). It pours a deep red-red colour and delivers intense aromatics featuring plenty of fresh and dried, red and black fruit, plum, black cherry purée, complex and complete, inviting, with minimal wood impact. The palate is fleshy and broad, well-structured, with evident depth and intensity, a serious example to be sure. Length is good to very good. Lots to admire here in this solid and well-constructed example, and the reduced time in barrel appears to have served the wine well. Juicy Tasted May 2025.

92 FERRARA BENITO Irpinia DOC Aglianico Vigna Quattro Confini 2021
Deep ruby-red colour. Youthful, reductive-rubbery, indeed still a little backwards, this will need significant air, and/or time, to emerge from its shell no doubt. The palate shows fine fleshy fruit extract and broad, velvety tannins structure, nicely enmeshed in the fruit. Length and depth are excellent. There’s a sucrosity to the fruit that broadens the appeal no doubt. A solid and satisfying wine, verging on enjoyable now with a vigorous carafing, or better yet hold for 2-3 years or comfortably until early in the next decade. Tasted May 2025.

92 STEFANIA BARBOT Taurasi DOCG Riserva Fren 2019
Vanilla-oak spice still sits atop this example, with its resinous, furniture polish character in tow; the palate is mid-weight, juicy-firm, with nicely succulent acids and lingering finish. This would seem to have the stuffing to integrate more fully over the next 2-3 years, and overall, I appreciate the elegant styling even with the oak influence – there’s enough to go on here to envision future integration. Tasted May 2025.

91 TENUTA FONTANA Campania IGT Aglianico Civico 28 Bio 2019
Nicely mature at this stage, at the twilight of fruit and earth, tea leaves and forest floor, dried red and black cherry fruit; Fontana’s 2019 Civico 28 delivers impressive complexity. The palate is supple up front, turning firmer on the back end but remaining in balance without angularity. Acids and tannins are strong but matched by fruit extract, and length is very good. Solid wine, best now-2029. Tasted May 2025.

91 DONNACHIARA Irpinia DOC Aglianico Irpinia 2022
Clean and relatively fruity, this is an approachable, modern style aglianico with a botanical twist, orange zest and rosehip, red cherry and currant flavours. I like the succulence and the zestiness on the palate – there’s nothing rustic about this wine, just well-made, sleek and fluid yet still authentic juice. Drink or hold 2-4 years; lots of pleasure nigh. Tasted May 2025.

91 I CAPITANI Irpinia DOC Campi Taurasini Jumara 2021
A fully savoury, earthy, leathery, mature example of aglianico, with dried red and black fruit flavours, wild resinous herbs, pot pourri and more in an intriguing and compelling style. The palate is fluid and sleek, with good structure but not overbearing, slightly chewy, with very good depth and extract overall. Length, too, is impressive. For what is supposed to be a ‘junior version” of Taurasi, this is impressive wine, drinking now, but no rush. Tasted May 2025.

Aglianico tasting at Feudi di San Gregorio ©John Szabo

91 TENUTE CAPALDO – FEUDI DI SAN GREGORIO Taurasi DOCG 2021
A dark and peppery example of Taurasi from San Gregorio, clean and polished, while still retaining enough of the swarthy character of the variety to keep things interesting. Depth and length are good if not outstanding, but this represents the territory well enough without setting the high standard. Drink from 2026 on. Tasted May 2025.

91 I CAPITANI Taurasi DOCG Bosco Faiano 2020
A matured, twiggy, earth and savoury example of aglianico, with fruit transitioning into the dried spectrum, alongside steeped tea, dried herbs and similar. The palate shows a lick of acetic acid with more of the same flavours, fairly fine, sandy-firm tannins and good length. A savoury, properly old school example. Tasted May 2025.

Buyer’s Guide: Piedirosso
90 LA SIBILLA Campi Flegrei DOC Piedirosso 2023 Medium red-red colour. There’s good depth and interest off the nose here, with pure red fruit, predominantly in the cherry spectrum, honest, open, unfettered. The palate is fleshy, mid-weight and juicy, with fine sapidity and good to very good length – stands out in the lineup of piedirosso, a superior example. A small percentage of the wine is aged in 500l tonneaux (the leesy part from the bottom of the tank) to oxygenate and blow of the reduction. Drink or hold short term. Tasted May 2025.

90 AGNANUM Campania IGT Piedirosso Sabbia Vulcanica 2024
Open and oxidative but not oxidized, this natural style of piedirosso from Agnanum delivers pulpy red fruit flavours, mostly cherry and plum, with juicy acids and light, ripe, velvety tannins. Length and depth are good. A fine example, best from now-2027 or so. Tasted May 2025.

Tasting at La Sibilla ©John Szabo

90 LA SIBILLA Campi Flegrei DOC Piedirosso Vigna Madre 2023
Produced from 85-year-old vines with at least 7 different clones of piedirosso; a small part ages in wood, even if not evident here. Lovely aromatics, deep colour and lots of fruit, dark and savoury, with gritty texture. Acids seem high, with somewhat lean, bitter finish, in the positive, botanical amaro way. It’s not an everyday wine to be sure, challenging and not for general distribution. Very salty in the end as well, which pumps up the tannic expression. Smoky nose and finish. Particular wine, one that you’ll have to taste several times to start to appreciate. Full marks for singularity. Tasted May 2025.

89 FONTANAVECCHIA Sannio DOC Piedirosso 2024
Ripe, fresh and aromatic, showing considerable red and sour cherry fruit on a resinous, leathery backdrop. I like the honest, pulpy fruit, the rustic pleasure on offer. A chewable red without heavy tannins, just a light tug on the palate. Good lean juice. Tasted May 2025.

Salvatore Martusciello, Gilda Guida, and WineAlign Editor Dick Snyder at the Solfitara Volcano, Campi Flegrei ©John Szabo

89 MARTUSCIELLO SALVATORE Campi Flegrei DOC Piedirosso Settevulcani 2024

Salvatore’s latest “Seven Volcanoes” Piedirosso is open and juicy straight off, with sour/morello cherry fruit leading; I like the honest, pulpy fruit, simple and succulent, clean, with well-managed tannins. A plump and appealing wine in the end, with above average length, representing the variety and the region nicely. Worth a look. Tasted May 2025.

89 CONTRADA SALANDRA Campi Flegrei DOC Piedirosso 2021

Maturing now unsurprisingly but still holding on to fleshy red and black cherry fruit, Salandra’s 2021 piedirosso is balanced on the palate, with moderate, ripe tannins and acids in line. Wood is fully integrated, and I like the salty-gritty character. Solid length. Good stuff, at peak now. Tasted May 2025.

Lake Avernus, the Gate to Hell in the Campi Flegrei ©John Szabo

88 CASA D’AMBRA Ischia DOC Per’ e Palummo 2024
Quite deeply coloured for the variety, though a long pre-fermentation maceration helps to extract colour without extracting tannins in an aqueous milieu. The nose is pleasantly fruity, clean, cherry-inflected, with cherry stone and all manner of bright red fruit, while the palate is lightweight, crunchy fresh, best like this I think, chill and enjoy. Tasted May 2025.

Red Blends

94 VILLA MATILDE-AVALLONE Falerno del Massico DOC Rosso Riserva Vigna Camarato 2018
Villa Matilde’s premium rosso riserva from the Falerno del Massico denomination strikes a fine balance in 2018, displaying considerable plummy fruit extract and excellent depth of flavour, with supple, broad and velvety tannins and well-integrated wood. This is really well-balanced and composed, dense and solid wine, well-made, professional and delicious. Drink now or continue to hold into the ’30s no doubt without concern. Tasted May 2025.

93 CUOMO MARISA Costa d’Amalfi Furore Rosso Riserva DOC 2021
This evidently a quality wine straight off the top, with its sleek, expensive oak influence melding nicely now with a mix of red and black fruit and especially savoury Mediterranean herbs – complexity is impressive. The palate is fullish, with a balance of acids and tannins that works very comfortably, and a succulence and sapidity that drives saliva nicely. Long finish. A serious Furore to be sure, from the widely acknowledged top producer in this beautiful region. I’d cellar another 2-3 years for the fully resolved expression. Tasted May 2025.

92 SAMMARCO ETTORE Costa d’Amalfi Tramonti Rosso Riserva DOC Pietre di Tramonti 2018
Still surprisingly youthful for a 2018, Ettore Sammarco’s Tramonti Riserva, a blend of century-old tintore, piedirosso and aglianico, shows plenty of resinous-herbal character on a lightly reductive backdrop, also showing (old) wood influence (20 months in 500l tonneaux). I like the pot pourri/died floral notes that emerge with air in the glass. The palate is light-medium-bodied, firm and tightly wound still, dusty and gritty, more herbal than fruity, with decent length. No concessions to soft and easy here, an authentically rustic, regional expression. Decant and serve with salty protein or continue to cellar into the early ’30s. Tasted May 2025.

92 DE FALCO VINI Lacryma Christi del Vesuvio Rosso Superiore DOC Lahar 2023
De Falco’s “Lahar” Lacryma Christi Rosso, named after the generic term for a volcanic mudflow (which has happened periodically on Vesuvius over the centuries), is a classic 80% piedirosso-20% aglianico blend, and is aged, post-fermentation, for 6 months in second fill barriques. It pours a medium-deep ruby-red and offers aromatics of fresh dark cherries and plums, expansive and building complexity as it evolves in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied at 13% alcohol declared, with light but gritty tannins and balanced-fresh acids, and impressively lingering finish. Wood plays only a minor role in the flavour profile with a gentle nuance of fresh coffee bean and vanilla, but it’s the dark berry fruit that leads. A quality, polished, refined Vesuvian red. Best 2026-2032. Tasted twice in May and June 2025.

91 MASSERIA FELICIA Falerno del Massico DOC Rosso Etichetta Bronzo 2018
Felicia’s premium Falerno del Massico rosso, the 2018 Etichetta Bronzo shows more freshness and composure than the 2020 ‘regular’ I have to say. The palate is fluid, dense and concentrated, with ample dark fruit and fully integrated oak flavours, and very good length. A successful wine all around, for enjoyment at the table alongside stews or roasts, or any type of salty protein. Tasted May 2025.

90 LA MASSERIA DI SESSA Falerno del Massico DOC Primitivo Primus Bio 2021
Red-red garnet colour; open and maturing, though still appealingly fruity with its plum purée and black cherry jam flavours, intact and contained, a Sessa rosso to enjoy in its relative youth, on the fruit. The palate is plump and juicy, with broad, velvety tannins and balanced acids-alcohol. Solid length on a juicy, saliva-inducing finish. Good, representative stuff here. Drink or hold mid-term. Tasted May 2025.

90 LA MASSERIA DI SESSA Falerno del Massico DOC Rosso Qaestio Bio 2019
Maturing, medium-bodied, moderately structured Falerno red here, with high toned, red and black cherry fruit, balanced and ready to enjoy with salty protein at the table to finish the textural softening. Correct all around. Tasted May 2025.

Other Red Varieties
91 La Sibilla IGT Campania Rosso Marsigliana 2009 “Marsigliana” is a cuvée of all the minor red grapes grown at La Sibilla: marsigliese (a red-juiced, ‘tintore’ variety), olivella, anarella, and calabrese (gaglioppo?), with just a splash of piedirosso to lighten up the blend. It’s interesting and surely mature, with mushroomy notes, some fantasy here, while acids and tannins are still firm. Salty palate, dried fruit, such an interesting wine, not easy, but complexity is sky high, and tannins are firm but not hard; Almost not commercial-level production, family use mainly. (This wine was made by famed consultant Roberto Cipressi). Tasted May 2025.

90 ALOIS Casavecchia di Ponteleone DOC Riserva Trebulanum 2018
Mature, and I’d say slightly funky, not to say brettanomyces-inflected, at least notably leathery and herbal, earthy and smoky. The palate is still rigidly structured but offers evident density and depth, an ambitious example, above the mean in this niche category. Tannins are firm and still drying, and will likely never fully soften, at least not before the fruit has faded. But this is not about the fruit in any case, so cellar another 2-3 years(?) for a more resolved experience. There’s certainly lots going on here. Tasted May 2025.

90 ALOIS Terre del Volturno IGT Pallagrello Nero Murella 2021
Clean and subtle, with sour red fruit and dusty-earthy notes, and firm-balanced palate; I like the succulence of the acids and the sapid character they impart – there’s a real salinity and grittiness that works well. It’s a classic wine for the table and salty protein, and/or leave in the cellar for another 3-4 years without concern, or indeed much longer, as previous tastings of back vintages with Massimo Alois has shown. Tasted May 2025.

88 TERESA MINCIONE Terre del Volturno IGT Casavecchia Nulla è per Caso 2022
Pours a medium-deep purple-red colour, and has good depth of fruit on the nose, black cherry and red plum, alongside dried mint and lavender. The palate is fleshy with solid depth of flavour and extract, balanced and chewy, with moderate length. A sort of introductory version of casavecchia, best from now-2028 or so. Tasted May 2025.

Rosato
90 MACCHIE SANTA MARIA Irpinia DOC Rosato Ophelia 2024
A pure aglianico rosato, this is crafted in an appealing, reductive style, clean and fruity, and attractive off the top. It’s bone dry with sharp acids and a mix of white cranberry, red cherry, and citrus-lemon flavours, wild resinous herbs, and good to very good length. Quite a serious rosato in the end, with some ageing potential – I’d start to enjoy from early next year. Tasted May 2025.

90 CASA SETARO Lacryma Christi del Vesuvio DOC Munazei Rosato Bio 2023
Pale amber-pink. Clean, subtly fruity-stony, gently smoky. Dry and crisp, savoury, with sapidity in spades and good to very good length and depth. A serious rosé; drink or hold for a year or two. Tasted May 2025.

88 SAN SALVATORE 1988 Paestum IGT Aglianico Rosato Vetere 2024
A very pale pink wine here from San Salvatore, clean, open and fragrant, with a nice mix of white cranberry, cherry, and citrus fruit/lemon pith and zest, inviting. The palate is dry, light medium-bodied, with balanced acids and more of the same flavours. Simple but tasty, ready to enjoy. Tasted May 2025.

That’s all for this special report, see you ’round the next bottle.

John Szabo, MS