Elena Fucci Aglianico del Vulture Titolo 2014
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Elena Fucci does a great job of turning the tables on this notoriously difficult vintage. The 2014 Aglianico del Vulture Titolo offers much more substance and power than I expected. Many wines from this growing season are considerably leaner and thinner, but this wine presents a level of intensity that is more intact than most. The nose is very clean and characterized by primary fruit aromas, which makes sense given the youthfulness of this new release. Only on the finish can you recognize some of the difficulties of the vintage. The mouthfeel shows less complexity and a more abrupt finish. Elena Fucci tells me she worked extra hard in this vintage and remains happy with the results achieved.
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Wine Enthusiast
Earthy aromas of truffle, damp soil, new leather and black-skinned fruit lead the way while the polished palate shows dried black cherry, prune, clove and ground pepper. Tightly wound, fine-grained tannins and fresh acidity provide the backbone while notes of tobacco and orange zest linger on the finish.
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Titolo is named for the ancient lava flow that formed the soils of Elena Fucci’s vineyards near Monte Vulture in northern Basilicata. That volcanic influence comes across in the wine’s smoky flavors and the tannic feel of crushed black stones, giving way to brambly berry flavors buoyed by brisk acidity. Decant this before serving and match its charry flavors with a seared ribeye.
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The Fucci family has lived on their estate in Basilicata since 1960, when Elena’s grandfather bought six hectares of vineyards at the highest part Contrada Solagna of Titolo, at the foot of Mount Vulture (an extinct volcano). Her grandfather and father tended the vines and sold the harvest as bulk grapes, only vinifying a small portion for personal consumption.
It wasn’t until the 2000 vintage that the full potential of the domain’s 70-year-old Aglianico vines was properly explored. The family was going through the process of selling the estate when Elena made the last-minute decision to take on the property herself, with the intention of developing the vineyard and devoting herself to the land that she grew up loving so dearly. 2000 was the first proper vintage at Elena Fucci, harvested and vinified while Elena was still completing her studies in Viticulture and Enology.
She knew from the beginning that they wanted to devote themselves to producing a singular wine, reflective of their unique terroir. Simply walking through the vineyard rows at Elena Fucci is a fascinating history lesson; the terrain is volcanic, the soil is mineral, dark in color, and pozzolanic, which clearly catalogues in its layers the history and life of the Vulture volcano, visible just a few hundred meters away. The eruptive phases composed of lava flows, lapilli and ash, interspersed with periods of stasis, composed of layers of clay, are all visible in the land, which translates to a fascinating wine in the glass.
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.
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.