I bought this single bottle of Aglianico del Vulture Riserva 1982,
D'Angelo a few years after release at auction, and it has been stored
properly. There were no fill or cork issues. As with some other
Italian wines of the era, the cork was extremely compressed. I had to
use pliers to grip the cork after removing it to twist the cork off of
the screw.

Aglianico, in the south of Italy at high elevations, can give wine of
a quality that can rival Barolo, but from most examples in the past
you would never know this. D'Angelo has been making quality Aglianico
del Vulture, especially riserva, for quite a while, and now a few
others make very good Aglianico del Vulture also.

This wine can be loaded with tannin when young, as can be traditional
Barolo. If made properly in the right region, it can age very well,
round out the tannin, and become very complex.

The wine is still deep scarlet with only a little indication of age
around the rim. It still has some dry tannin and enough acid, but it
is now well smoothed. There is great complexity in the bouquet and
taste. It somewhat reminds me of pickled Indian peaches, but
fortunately without the vinegar. Pickled Indian(N. American) peaches
are spiced with cloves, cinnamon, allspice etc. The Indian peach has
deep red flesh and the taste and smell are somewhat like dark pit
fruit. There are also hints of tobacco, leather, and other things
difficult to pinpoint. The wine is quite intense in both bouquet and
taste.