Mastroberardino, the largest producer of premium wines in Campania, as well as being one of Italy's most highly regarded producers, has roots in Irpinia Province that reach back into the 18th century. It was in 1758 that Pietro di Berardino founded his winery in the town of Artipaldi, the farm eventually being officially registered by Cavalier Angelo in 1875. Post the formation of the initial entity, Pietro was referred to as "Maestro" and that, in combination with the historical family name, is the nomenclature by which the family has been known thenceforth.
The Campanian wine industry was decimated by phylloxera during the 1930s and suffered further declines with the onset of WWII. When Antonio, representing the 9th generation, returned from the war, the family estate was in ruins but he, along with his brother Walter, embarked on a comprehensive restoration and expansion program which would bear fruit for the family fortunes and the Campanian wine industry as a whole.
In addition to restoring their existing vineyards and cellars, Antonio and Walter bought up all of the best vineyard land in Irpinia and greater Campania. While other producers were ripping out native varieties and replacing them with internationals, Mastroberardino remained focused on the locals and is widely credited with saving Fiano, Greco, and Aglianico from extinction.
In 1996, Walter left Mastroberardino to establish his own estate, which he named Terradora in honor of his wife Dora. According to winetradersuk.co.uk, the split was acrimonious, with Antonio retaining the winery and the name whilst Walter retained the vineyards. Antonio was joined in the venture by his children Paolo, Lucia, and Daniela. In the same timeframe, 1997 to be exact, Antonio passed the reins of the Mastroberardino estate to his son Piero.
Antonio's success led to other Campanian winemakers following his path and a resulting revitalization and refocusing of the industry with the native varieties at the core. Further, the Italian Government recognized the leadership role of the estate by assigning it the task of recreating the vineyards, varieties, and cultivation and wine-production techniques practiced in the Roman era, prior to the eruption of Vesuvius. The first vintage of the resulting wine -- a blend of Piedirosso, Sciascinoso, and Aglianico -- was released in 2001.
The Mastroberardino holdings cover 16 estates and in excess of 254 ha distributed across Campania. The chart below shows the distribution of the estates, the varieties planted at each estate, and the wines produced therefrom.
The bulk of the family's holdings are concentrated in Irpinia, a province that is bordered by the foothills of the Apennines. It is a pre-Alpine zone with a continental climate and high elevations which exhibits the large diurnal shifts that quality grapes love as well as providing protection from rain, frost, and humidity. Irpinia is also home to three of the four Campanian DOCGs and 11 of the 16 Mastroberardino estates are located in those zones.
All of the estates are farmed sustainably.
The winemaking process is fairly similar across the holdings: manual harvests followed by fermentation in stainless steel tanks. The red wines are subjected to lengthy macerations in the tanks and are then aged for up to 30 months in barriques, or a mix of barriques and Slavonian casks, and are then aged in bottle for as much as 36 months.
The estate has introduced a line called Stilèma which seeks to produce wines as they did in pre-War Irpinia. In practice this means making Taurasi wines as they did in the 1960s and Greco and Fiano as they did in the 1970s and 1980s.
I have tasted a few examples of Mastroberardino wines as part of this exercise and will continue to do so and add to this report in the future.
The 2020 Fiano di Avellino DOCG was elegant with a slightly powdery note, sweet white fruit, spice, and green herbs. On the palate lemom-lime, minerality, salinity and a toasted bread character.
The 2015 Taurasi DOCG was non-turgid in the glass. It showed beeswax, star apple, violet florals, sweet tar, clay, and thyme on the nose. Expands quickly and fully on the palate. Medium weight with good, palate-cleansing acidity and a long, spicy finish. Dark purple fruit on the palate with silky tannins that provide just enough texture. Not an overly complex wine.
The 2015 Taurasi Riserva DOCG showed a balsamic note on the nose along with spice, tar, chocolate, herb, mint, cassis, dark fruits, smoke, charcoal, licorice, and beeswax.. Sour cherry on the palate, red fruits, coal and a smokiness. Ripe tamarind. The acidity rides on a wave that persists into the finish and beyond.
The Mastro Rosso Campania IGT is a blend of Aglianico, Piedirosso, and other varieties grown in different areas of Irpinia and Sannio. The grapes are grown at 350 m in south-facing vineyards sited on predominantly clayey-calcareous soils. The 20-year-old vines - average density 3000 vines/ha -- are trained Guyot. The grapes are vinified in stainless steel tanks and are refined in bottle for at least month.
The 2018 version of the Mastro Campania IGT is easy-drinking. Vanillin, tar, sage, cassis, and beeswax on the nose. Red fruit and spice on the palate with an abbreviated finish.
The grapes for the NovaSerra Greco di Tufo are sourced exclusively from the Montefusco Vineyard. The vineyard has a southeast exposure, is sited at 550 m asl, and has calcareous clay soil with traces of volcanic ash. Vines are, on average, 15 years old, are planted at 4000 vines/ha, and are cordon-spur pruned and espalier-trained. The grapes are fermented in stainless steel tanks and matured in bottle for 3 - 4 months prior to release on the market.
I tasted the 2021 edition of this wine.
Sweet white fruit on the nose with apple-pear notes, mint, pepper spice, and a slatey minerality. Bright acidity on the palate with a hint of burnt orange/lime. A lengthy crushed limestone finish.
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