89 1999 Tenuta del Portale Aglianico del Vulture Riserva 4/8/07 ($17)
Color: Medium dark cherry. Not overly deep, but quite healthy for its age. (3.0) Bouquet: Cinnamon bun with black cherry fruit, spice (terroir) and cedar. (3.0) Body: Middleweight with excellent fruit-to-acid balance. Could be bigger and more concentrated, but can’t complain for the price. (2.5) Flavor: Parallels bouquet. (3.0) Finish: Again, parallels bouquet with spice and fruit lingering, although light on its feet like a Pinot Noir. (3.0)
Overall: Very impressive for the price. A solid very good with excellent character, displaying Pinot Noir-like aromatics with volcanic terroir thrown in. It is ready to go, but could easily hold for 1-3 more years (it handled 24hrs in the refrigerator very nicely). It would deserve an excellent rating if it had just a little more concentration. (14.5)