Behind The Bottle - Good Company
Aglianico is really an endlessly interesting grape. This grape is native to the area around Naples, Italy, where it has a documented history of cultivation 2,000 years old. I can’t wrap my head around that. But now that I know it, when I drink Aglianico, I can’t help but think about it. And then I want to know more about this place and its people. 2000 years! Jesus.
I get sucked into a whirlpool of curiosity that ends with me revering this ancient grape – its merits, its deficits, how it was essential and how it survived by chance. I look up ancient frescoes and read the graffiti in Pompeii. I make homemade pizza and follow SSC Napoli through another underachieving season. I let the wine become a hallucinogen for my imagination. Of course it had to be the first Stereophonic Wine – and one day it’ll be just a footnote. But right now, it’s our masterpiece.
There are just 81 acres of Aglianico in the entire state of California. To put that in perspective, there are 94,000 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon. Outside of the 8 main grapes (Cab, Merlot, Cab Franc, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Zin, Chard and SB), only 7% of production comes from lesser known grape varieties, but there’s a movement to identify and preserve and elevate these wines.
Which makes it sting all the more that this was my only vintage with this vineyard as it got a virus called red blotch that basically slows the whole grape life cycle down so much that grapes can’t ever get ripe enough to harvest. 2017 was the last vintage before it was torn out. The vineyard has undergone replanting but will be replacing the Aglianico. So it’s now something of a collector’s item – sure to skyrocket in value! Just kidding.
In the glass, Good Company strikes a balance between being the sort of rugged, sultry volcanic wine that it is known for in Italy – and the soft and velvety reds that are typical of Paso Robles. It’s kind of a taut, muscular thang that is just kind of working with some love handles at the moment. Right on pouring, there’s blackberry and cherry flavors and a very mild sensation of dried herbs and hibiscus. Then there’s a soft, almost cottony texture that shows some of the young tannins that will soften fully in the next couple years. On day two, the wine has opened fully and offers something a bit like a Barolo or Barbaresco – red fruits with good body, aromatics of fresh and pungent wildflowers and a finish that is lengthy and mouthwatering. That’s like EXACTLY what Aglianico should be!
The label of Good Company depicts a hole in the Kakarum desert in Turkmenistan. I chose this photo because the home of Aglianico is surrounding Mt. Vesuvius and it is strongly associated with volcanic regions and the god Vulcan. This hole however, is man-made. Part of a large natural gas deposit, during extraction, the surface collapsed and released methane. In an attempt to extinguish the outgassing, geologists ignited it, expecting it go out in a couple of days. Fifty years later, the fire is still burning and locals call it the Gate to Hell.
Something remarkable to consider about Aglianico as you’re drinking it: it was so important to ancient Rome that it was planted INSIDE the city walls of Pompeii. People had Aglianico in their backyards and everyone drank it. We visited Pompeii a few years back and there are areas where archaeologists were able to actually find hollows in the ash during excavation, indicating the exact location of the ancient vines. Those spots were replanted and cared for in the way they would have been in antiquity. This rare wine is served mostly at Italian embassies but can be had for the right amount! For everyone else who wants to take a mental trip to antiquity, Good Company does a pretty good job!