Region: Puglia, Italy

Varietal: 100% Aglianico

Tasting notes: Deep red color with purple tints. Pronounced aromas of violets, black plum, blackberry, blueberry, bramble, sweet tobacco, and earthiness. These all follow to the palate with the additional flavors of strawberry, red cherry, dried blackberry, clay, and baking spices. Medium plus acidity, big full bodied wine with fine grained tannins and a pleasant. long finish.This is a great substitute for things like Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah, and Zinfandel.

Producer: A “true blue,” grizzled farmer-type, winemaker Antonio Lamona is both utterly likeable and totally invested in his wines. Although his father also grew grapes, Antonio is the first in the family to bottle his own and, beginning in the late sixties, began cultivating vines that are entirely organic. As Antonio says, “I would rather forgo an entire vintage than put man-made pesticides in my soil.” Located just 3 km uphill from the Adriatic and a morning’s drive from the 9,000-foot Gran Sasso, Antonio’s farm is entirely self-sustaining: they produce their own salami, bread, vegetables, olive oil, and cheese. True, you won’t find a “discoteca” within a hundred miles of the place, but in terms of sheer, natural beauty and down-to-earth hospitality, there’s no better place to see.

Vineyard and Winemaking: From the master of Montepulciano, Antonio Lamona delivers his signature combination of power and finesse with one of the most difficult varietals of all: Aglianico. The famous heel of the Italian boot, Puglia has a wine history dating back over 2000 years, when the Greeks first arrived on the scene. Surrounded by 3 seas (Adriatic, Mediterranean and Ionic), there are over 800 kilometers of coastline, and their marine breezes are critical for viticulture in this hot and arid location. La Quercia is an uncertified organic estate, and this wine, harvested from a single cru owned by the family in Puglia, really delivers. Grapes are organically farmed (non-certified), dry-farmed and picked by hand.