Aglianico and Its Territories – The Tasting

A few days ago I attended the event organized by Athenaeum "L'Aglianico e i suoi territori". The evening was led by the well-known wine journalist and blogger Luciano Pignataro. We were in excellent hands, considering that Luciano is one of the foremost experts on wine and the territories of southern Italy. We tasted seven wines made from Aglianico grapes, coming from four different territories: the Vulture in Basilicata, Irpinia, Cilento, and finally the Sannio (Taburno) in Campania.

Let the wines speak.

1. Irpinia Aglianico Re di More 2011 – Mastroberardino.
This is the entry-level wine from the Mastroberardino winery, interesting because it is made from a clone selected by the estate. Beyond the cherry note – common to the other six samples and, in general, a gustatory-olfactory descriptor of wines made from Aglianico grapes – a background of ash typical of the area is perceptible, along with interesting toasted notes. On the palate the hard sensations dominate, with a significant tannin and an acidity that causes considerable salivation. The finish is slightly bitter but precise. Aged for 12 months in small oak, it is not a wine of great complexity but of reliable and technically correct execution. A food wine through and through.

2. Cilento Aglianico Cenito 2010 – Luigi Maffini.
This is a wine of the sea. It comes from a vineyard of over twenty years, originally blended as Aglianico with a portion of Piedirosso. The latter is a variety more delicate than a Dolcetto planted on the north-facing slopes of the Langhe, and it served a similar role to Ciliegiolo in Sangiovese-based Chianti. In other words, it was used to soften the harder notes of Aglianico. In recent years, Cenito has been made from pure Aglianico grapes. It is a wine of great formal cleanliness, with a fine fruitiness in evidence. On the palate there is perfect correspondence, with a clear fresh component and an iodized saline note that evokes the sea. The gustatory impact is never excessive, yet the wine wins over the palate progressively. The use of oak does not follow a set protocol but is calibrated each year according to the vintage conditions.

3. Aglianico del Vulture Synthesi 2011 – Paternoster
Again an entry-level Aglianico from another prestigious winery in the tasting. It matures in third-use oak, which serves only as an "inert" aging vessel – that is, without imparting gallic tannins. The vineyards are in Barile in the Vulture, in a highly regarded area at an altitude of between 450 and 650 metres above sea level. The wine gives off not particularly defined jam-like aromas; on the palate the great acidity and drying tannin are evident. As we saw with the Re di More from Mastroberardino, this too is a wine that works very well with food. Overall it can be described as a didactic wine, the archetype of Aglianico that does not contemplate any particular management of tannins.

4. Taurasi Vigna Cinque Querce 2006 – Salvatore Molettieri
We are in the area of Montemarano, one of the municipalities where Taurasi is produced. The style of the wine is characterised by crunchiness and the tactile quality of its gustatory-olfactory sensations. The wine, produced at 600 metres above sea level, appears highly concentrated, with oak management that varies according to different vintages and their respective climatic conditions. It shows a vivid ruby red with violet hues, a sign of significant anthocyanin concentration. A complex nose, which beyond the customary fruity aromas unfolds intriguing notes of carob, spiced hints, and bitter orange peel. On the palate the 15% alcohol is perceptible, but so too is the great tannin and 36 g/l of extract. It is a wine of extreme power, one we might describe as a mass that never stops once in the mouth.

5. Aglianico del Vulture Stupor Mundi 2005 – Carbone
The Vulture territories, compared to those of Irpinia, express volcanic minerality more markedly. This is precisely what happens in this great Aglianico del Vulture made by the siblings Sara and Luca Carbone, whom we have already encountered. The grapes come from vineyards in the Piani dell'Incoronata locality at an altitude of 550 metres above sea level. After 9 years, the wine still shows a deep ruby colour with a rim beginning to turn garnet. The nose strikes for the clarity of its aromas, ranging from ripe and jammy fruit to tobacco, then spiced hints, leather, earthy notes, with a finish of Mediterranean scrub and liquorice. On the palate the enormous tannin and clear freshness make it extremely persistent, with beautiful balsamic retro-olfactory returns. We imagine it still has a long evolutionary journey ahead. I have a Stupor Mundi of the same vintage in my cellar. It will stay there for quite some time yet.

6. Aglianico del Taburno Vigna Cataratte 2005 – Fontanavecchia.
In the Sannio, almost two-thirds of Campania's wine is produced. It is the only wine-producing area of the region where the vineyard extends as far as the eye can see. Falanghina alone is planted across 3,000 hectares (almost twice the entire vineyard area of the Barolo zone). Located in the territory of Torrecuso, in the Taburno, is the Fontanavecchia estate, which has a long tradition in the grape trade before it began bottling. The Vigna Cataratte ages for four years, of which 14 months in French oak barriques. On the nose it is still brooding despite the nine years since the harvest, while on the palate it shows greater softness. The wine's acidity, compared to the other samples, is less pronounced and integrates better with the other components. Vigna Cataratte is therefore characterised by warmer tones and strikes us as a ready wine, with riper fruity returns.

7. Aglianico del Vulture Zimberno 2004 – Michele Laluce.
We are in Venosa in the Vulture, in one of the most vocationally suited areas for growing Aglianico. The vineyard is managed with great attention, with meticulous, plant-by-plant care. The same care can be found in the winery, where the wine matures in steel and large oak. On the nose it opens with fruit, then moves to highly original notes of tea and hibiscus. It then unfolds hints of undergrowth, aromatic herbs of wild fennel, thyme, and oregano. On the palate the wine has a beautiful freshness and a masterfully calibrated tannin. Still young despite its ten years of age, the wine is in balance and appears well-structured despite only 12.5% alcohol. Truly surprising, it is a wine whose hallmark is great measure.
What more can be said? It only remains to thank and salute Luciano for this lesson on the multiple expressions of Aglianico, also in relation to the peculiarities of its territory of origin.