Calabria is the “toe” of Italy’s “boot,” a rugged region where vineyards sweep right down to the beaches along the Ionian Sea. Wines from the Cirò Rosso Classico Superiore D.O.C. are based on the rare Gaglioppo grape, indigenous to the region. Deep crimson-garnet in the bowl, Ippolito’s Liber Pater Cirò Rosso captures all of Gaglioppo’s earthy goodness with vibrant aromas of earthy cherry fruit infused with suggestions of leather, tar, bay leaf, and dried herbs. On the palate, the Liber Pater bursts with lip-smackingly delicious sour cherry and black currant fruit balanced by plentiful, savory tannins, tarry earth, and black licorice. The wine finishes long and firm, revisiting its brisk kernel of cherry fruit while adding hints of menthol, soil, and mushroomy underbrush. Superb balance, bracing acidity, and fine, food-friendly tannins make this a perfect match for pasta dishes, hearty vegetable casseroles, grilled eggplant, roasts of lamb, or pork dishes, especially those prepared with the peppers that are so favored in Calabrian cuisine. Enjoy now or cellar three to seven years to allow the tannins to melt into the wine’s kernel of dusty cherry fruit.
