Serpico, harvested from century-old pre-phylloxera vines

Feudi di San Gregorio Serpico is the critically acclaimed signature wine of this famous winery. Sorbo Serpico is about an hour’s drive from Naples and Mount Vesuvius. It’s the unique volcanic, sandstone and marly soil of this area that lends the wines their tell-tale aromas of cherry, cinnamon and aniseed. It’s a complex wine bursting with cherry jam, sweet spices, liquorice, coffee and cocoa notes balanced with a beautiful spicy minerality

Bouquet: Intense, persistent bouquet of rich wild cherries, toasted oak and warm vanilla and cocoa

Taste: Soft, dense and well balanced. The finish is long and pleasant, with flavours of red berries against a smooth background of toast and spice

Grape: 100% Aglianico di Taurasi, harvested from century-old pre-phylloxera vines

Vinification: Manual harvesting starts in mid-October and lasts until early November. After pressing, a 10 day maceration on the skins, and fermentation takes place in stainless steel for about 3 to 4 weeks. Once malolactic fermentation is completed, the wine is aged for 18 months in medium toasted new French oak barrels and a further 12 months in bottle prior to release

Serving Suggestions: Well-matched with roasted meat, game and aged cheeses

Alcohol: 14%

Acidity (g/l): 6.3

pH Level: 3.4

Body Value (A is light, E is full bodied): E

Suitable for Vegetarians and Vegans: Yes

Awards: Wine Advocate awarded the Serpico 2011 92+ points from the magazine of American guru Robert Parker, given by Monica Larner in July 2015:

“Big fruit intensity is followed by cinnamon, nutmeg, crushed clove and cured meat. Similar intensity is shown in the mouth where the wine is opulently shaped and generous in terms of extraction and persistency. It closes with ripe fruit flavours and soft tannins.”