Elena Fucci 'Titolo' Aglianico 2018
Elena Fucci is one of the very best producers of Aglianico in the world.
Organic
In less than a decade, and producing just one wine from her family’s vineyards on Monte Vulture, Elena Fucci has created a new classic in Italian winemaking.
Monte Vulture, a 1326 metre high extinct volcano in northern Basilicata, lends its name to Basilicata’s most significant wine, Aglianico del Vulture. Aglianico has somewhat of a mythical reputation and, as one of Italy’s noble red grapes, is said by many to be the ‘Barolo of the south’. On the steep slopes of Monte Vulture the vines benefit from the intense sunlight of the south and, at these altitudes, the dramatic day and night temperature differences that promote freshness and acidity. The climate is relatively cool and the harvest is one of the latest, beginning in the last week of October.
The Fucci vineyard is located on the Titolo lava channel of Monte Vulture in northern Basilicata, grown at 650 metres on a volcanic lava mix known locally as pozzolana. The viticulture is organic and tending the grapes is labour intensive, picked by hand and crushed in small batches. Titolo is fermented in stainless, malolactic takes place in new French barrique and the wine is bottled without filtration or fining. This is a wine that really speaks of its origins, both place and grape.
Winery Notes: Vinification Information: The Aglianico is de-stemmed and crushed in small batches and then fermented in stainless steel with a maximum temperature controlled to 22-24 degrees Celsius. Malolactic fermentation takes place within 100% new French oak barriques and matured for 12 months. The wine is fined in the bottle for an additional 6 months before being released to the market.
Plushness aromas of violet, juniper, cherry and bramble berry burst on the nose. Medium in weight, there's a driven, ample feel to the juicy red-cherry and blackberry flavors, with bits of tar and pressed rose arising on the midpalate. Yet, throughout the whole experience, bouncy berry fruit and zesty crushed mineral tones remain constant. There's structure and poise to this wine that makes it enjoyable to drink now, but it will also hold well through 2028. 93 Points. Alexander Peartree, Wine Enthusiast.