De Angelis Rosso Lacrima Christi del Vesuvio 2001

A richly robed, decadent style of Lacrima Christi, the 2001 De Angelis Lacrima Christi del Vesuvio offers up plenty of flavor in a flamboyant format. Scents of black fruits, plum and cedar permeate the nose, while fleshy fruit and a subtle softness, redolent of summer berries, dominate the wine's opulent profile. Yet, in spite of this Lacrima Christi's fleshy nature, it finishes dry and smooth, with just enough tannin and subtle spice to frame the wine's fruit and linger for a full fifteen seconds after clearing the palate. Yum! Drink this fleshpot now and often over the next couple of years. We suggest allowing this wine to breath a bit in the glass before consuming it, but as long as the lush fruit remains forward in this opulent potion, extensive breathing time should not be necessary. Serve the 2001 De Angelis Lacrima Christi anywhere between cellar and cool room temperature (60°-65° F), and enjoy!

As fleshy and succulent as the 2001 De Angelis Lacrima Christi del Vesuvio is, it hardly needs elaborate fare to shine. In fact, simple, regional country cooking from southern Italy provides a myriad of fine accompaniments to the De Angelis Lacrima. Most notable among these complements is shrimp or lobster Fra Diavolo, linguine with red clam sauce or even a hardy marinara with penne pasta, thick country bread and shaved Parmesan cheese. Calzones, oven baked pizzas, Eggplant Parmigiana, grilled Italian sausage, Veal Sorrentino, and thick, spicy, homemade minestrone soups provide other fine accompaniments. Old-fashioned burgers and rib-eye steaks, with garlic mashed potatoes and sautéed green beans, offer additional tasty companions to the 2001 De Angelis Lacrima Christi, which are sure to reward. Buon Appetito!

Located on the foothills of Mount Vesuvius, bordering majestic Sorrento Bay, the Azienda Agricola De Angelis is situated in the prettiest part of the Campania. The Campania Felix, meaning the 'joyous country' or the 'face with an open smile,' is the ancient province of the Roman Empire that sits just south of Rome and neighboring Latium. Like its name implies, this region produces friendly, gregarious wines, and none is more exemplary of the good nature and open character of the land and people of the Campania than the De Angelis Rosso Lacrima Christi. The estate's owners, the DeAngelis Brothers, typify the unparalleled character of their enchanted region. From barely twenty acres of hillside vineyards they produce, with the help of Oenologist Angelo Valentino, the two mythical wines of Sorrento: Rosso Lacrima Christi and Bianco Lacrima Christi. Lacrima Christi means 'tears of Christ,' and as legend has it the wines of this area of Vesuvius were so named because here, it is said, that Lucifer was cast out of heaven, causing Christ to weep. The Rosso Lacrima is the result of the local Piedirosso grape, married to a lesser portion of Aglianico, one of the ancient grapes that the Greeks brought to southern Italy more than 2500 years ago. Meanwhile the Bianco Lacrima Christi is the product of two native varietals, Coda di Volpe and Falanghina, which produce a fine, fragrant white wine that is prized for its flavor as well as its finesse.