Basilicata: Vulture’s Rise from the Ashes

BY ERIC GUIDO | SEPTEMBER 22, 2022

In my article last year, “Treasures of Italy’s Southern Adriatic and Ionian Coasts”, I wrote, “...an organized effort is underway to bring much deeper coverage to Vinous readers next year. Aglianico del Vulture will receive the respect it deserves, if for no other reason than that many of the producers are already creating wines that go beyond all expectations.” Today I’m happy to make that a reality and affirm that I still very much feel the same about the surge in quality and value represented by the region. Just two years ago, the thought of writing an article featuring Vulture and its producers was practically unheard of, as it would be lumped together with the group of “Southern Italian” regions. Top properties here have been so relentless in their quest to prove themselves and improve the quality of their wines on a grand scale. 

Eighty-year-old vines growing trained to “Capanno” canes in Basilisco's Storico vineyard.

Going back eight years ago, a large tasting of Vulture was painful; over-oaked wines, dirty wines, corked bottles and poor winemaking (resulting in searing tannins or too much extraction) would dominate each flight. When I happened upon that lone producer that was doing the right things, it was a beacon of hope, yet that hope would be quickly quelled by yet another poor performance as the next wine was poured. This is no longer the case. In just eight years’ time, I have witnessed so much change. 

Today there is a sense of place, with unique growing zones like Maschito, Ripacandida, Barile, Ginestra, Venosa, Rapolla and Rionero proudly printed on labels. Beyond that, single-vineyard bottles continue to emerge, featuring names like Titolo, Fontanalle, PIan del Moro and Le Drude. Even the older estates, where tradition meant a masking of Aglianico purity through the overuse of oak, pushing ripeness and air-drying grapes have slowly come around. As a result, the wines have never been better. And speaking of purity, that’s where Aglianico del Vulture excels; when allowed to do so, it displays a unique character from its most famous cousin in Campania, while still maintaining it’s tell-tale black fruits, high acids, spicy citrus back bone, regal structure and the capacity to mature for well over a decade. In Vulture, readers will find all of that, and more, with softer palate profiles, woodsy herbal tones, vivid ash-like aromas (as if the vines soaked them up right from the volcanic soils) and a slightly more accessible tannic profile, which allows most drinkers to begin enjoying the wines a bit sooner than most Taurasis. These traits not only make Vulture’s wines a suitable alternative for lovers of Taurasi and Campania, but unique alternatives with their own personalities (think Alto Piemonte versus Barolo).

Forty-five-year-old vines in Elena Fucci's Contrada Solagna del Titolo at 600 meters.