Winemaker Notes
Critical Acclaim
All VintagesA delightful mix of crushed rock, red berries, pink peppercorn and violet drive the nose. There’s polish to the palate, where coiled red-berry fruit is propelled along an immensely tangy river of crushed stones. It’s a stripped back expression of the variety that shows elegance and power in tandem. Drink through 2030.
Taking over the winemaking from her father, Salvatore, whose vineyards are at 650m on the slopes of volcanic Mount Vulture, Elena Fucci has made an expressive, elegant Aglianico, whose fresh aromas of rosemary and thyme lead to a lively, textured cherry-fruited palate reminiscent of fine Barbera, the sinewy texture gently polished by French oak and etched with vivid volcanic acidity.
Inhabiting the arch of Italy’s boot, this southern, mountainous region has a relatively small amount of vineyard area under vine. Basilicata has one DOCG for its prized red grape, Aglianico, Aglianico del Vulture Superior, which is limited to the slopes of an extinct volcano. The best whites are made of Malvasia bianca.
Making its home in the mountainous southern Italy, Aglianico is a bold red variety that is late to ripen and often spends until November on the vine. It thrives in Campania as the exclusive variety in the age-worthy red wine called Taurasi. Aglianico also has great success in the volcanic soils of Basilicata where it makes the robust, Aglianico del Vulture. Somm Secret—The name “Aglianico” bears striking resemblance to Ellenico, the Italian word for "Greek," but no evidence shows it has Greek ancestry. However, it first appeared in Italy around an ancient Greek colony located in present-day Avellino, Campania.