A blend of 80% Aglianico and 20% Piedirosso, the Villa Matilde 2016 Falerno del Massico Avallone is a bright and punchy wine with lots of spicy white pepper and licorice that I identify with many of the indigenous grapes of Italy. Those peppery tones are relegated to a back seat position, and the wine offers plenty of wild berry and cassis fruit as well. This is a tight and tonic mid-weight red to pair with a platter of good, old cacio e pepe. A solid 130,000 bottles were produced.

Tobacco, tilled earth and campfire ash open the bouquet of the 2014 Falerno del Massico. This was a cold and wet vintage, and the primary fruit is less intense as result. This vintage comes across as more direct and immediate than past editions, although the acidity and brightness of this wine would be great for food pairings involving melted mozzarella. There is a note of sweet cherry on the close. They have produced 130,000 bottles.

The 2013 Falerno del Massico is a delightful wine with ample freshness, good structure and a very attractive price tag. This is almost all Aglianico (with a tiny percentage of Piedirosso) from volcanic soils with phosphorous, potassium and other minerals. The older vines were planted in 1963 and the younger ones in 2000, and you do taste the rich concentration from those older plants. Dark fruit aromas of blackberry and plum segue to barbecue spice and black olive. The bouquet is robust but also slightly rustic. The wine offers a long succession of authentic Aglianico tastes. Some 130,000 bottles were made.

A blend of 80% Aglianico and 20% Piedirosso, the 2011 Falerno del Massico is a dark and savory red wine. It exhibits black fruit aromas of prune and dark plum with exotic spice and cured tobacco at the back. You even get a whiff of roasted chestnut. This is a warm vintage and that extra heat seems locked within the powerful and concentrated thickness of the mouthfeel.

Dark and richly concentrated, the 2010 Falerno del Massico (80% Aglianico and 20% Piedirosso) opens to distinctive notes of black fruit, balsam herb, licorice and menthol tones. Enticing herbal tones makes this one of the most attractive red wines of the Falerno del Massico appellation. The tannins are well managed to deliver firm structure and a velvety texture. There is a touch of bitter dark chocolate on the finish.