This has aromas of blackcurrants, blackberries and baked cherries, with some bitter chocolate and tar. Firm and full-bodied, with dusty tannins and intense black fruit. Drink or hold.

When you put your nose into a glass of the Re Manfredi 2016 Aglianico del Vulture you might imagine that you are grabbing a fistful of volcanic earth and lava dust. This pretty wine is extremely rooted in its territory and in a sense of place, virtually transporting you to the Vulture crater. Black fruit, spice, tar and licorice root come up at the back. The mouthfeel offers power but a medium build overall. There's no mistaking this wine for anything other than an Aglianico del Vulture.

The 2015 Aglianico del Vulture achieves something that is not banal, considering the robust characteristics of this powerhouse appellation; it achieves easy elegance. This is purposely not a particularly profound or complex wine, but it is streamlined, tight and accessible with a refreshingly frank and matter-of-fact personality. The bouquet reveals aromas of candied cherry, smoke and crushed volcanic rock. The tannins are a bit dusty, but they are well integrated. Some 40,000 bottles were produced.

Grilled herb and balsam intensity appear at the front of the 2012 Aglianico del Vulture. Those are only preliminary aromas that soon lift to reveal more substantial tones of black fruit, dried cherry, tar, asphalt and crushed mineral. The bouquet is generous and rich but the mouthfeel is short on the mid palate. This makes for a less formal and approachable interpretation of the mighty Aglianico grape.

Cinnamon, clove and Christmas spice open the nose of the 2011 Aglianico del Vulture Re Manfredi. The wine shows the soft heat and mature fruit of the vintage with soft lines and round contours. The oak notes are apparent and require a few more years of bottle aging before they reach optimal integration. The 2011 vintage is especially bold and big. Its thick textural richness wraps thickly over the palate coating every part of the mouth with lavish layers of fruit and spice. The tannins are still a bit thorny and raw, but will soften with time.