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Tasting Highlights bring the best wines from our editors’ most recent tastings to WineSpectator.com members.

Great Italian reds are not limited to the Nebbiolos of Piedmont, the Sangiovese and international superstars of Tuscany or even the mighty Amarones of the Veneto. Further south, in the Campania region, Aglianico is making a case to be considered one of the country’s vinous treasures.

Most references say that the grape’s name is derived from the word Ellenico, Italian for “Hellenic,” and that the grape was brought from Greece to Campania more than 2,500 years ago, though there’s little evidence to support the latter claim. According to Tormaresca, the Antinori family estate that grows Aglianico in Puglia, a Milan University study showed no connection to any known Greek varieties. Some researchers, however, think that Aglianico may be a descendant of Gauranico, Guarano or Aminea Gemina, all of which have been linked to Falernian, a cult Campanian wine of its time.

In character, Aglianico is most similar to Nebbiolo. Both varietals have high acidity, high tannins and ripen late in the growing season, which lends to the grapes’ heady aromas. Yet where Nebbiolo tends to offer more red fruits, Aglianico features more wild black fruits. Aglianico also has a tendency to feature more assertive, rustic tannins, which will soften with extended aging.

For its $22 price tag, the Donnachiara Aglianico Irpinia 2007 is an excellent introduction to the grape, with plenty of racy black and red fruit to coat its tannins. The wine is sourced from clay-based vineyards and is aged four months in French oak barriques. Young by Aglianico standards, it’s approachable now but will benefit from a few years in the cellar.

The DOCG Taurasi appellation represents the heart of Aglianico production in Campania and offers a more serious study of the grape, which excels on the area’s volcanic soils. By law, these wines must age three years, with a minimum of one year in wood. Riservas are required to age four years. The Terredora di Paolo Fatica Contadina, a blend of three different vineyards, is winemaker Lucio Mastroberardino’s attempt to create an entry point for the appellation. The wine is aged 18 months in a blend of new and used oak barrels and then spends three years in bottle before its release from the winery. As a result, it balances mature tertiary notes with the grape’s primary wild character on a supple frame.

Finally, the Fattoria Galardi Roccamonfina Terra di Lavoro 2007, first produced in 1994, leads this report and offers a taste of a single site’s terroir. Sourced from the tiny Roccamonfina IGT appellation, located in the northwest corner of the region, the vines are planted on volcanic soil near the Mediterranean. Winemaker Riccardo Cotarella blends 80 percent Aglianico with 20 percent Piedirosso, another ancient local variety that adds color and flesh, softening Aglianico’s hard edges.