Italiano
Vulture generation
Eight friends, all Aglianico del Vulture producers, have come together to enhance the value and promote their area and its leading varietal.
The charm of the region of Basilicata does not stop in Matera and the true adventure is to push into the hinterland to discover and be surprised by the succession of forests, hills, valleys and small villages, the lakes of Monticchio and the vineyards in Vulture in the northern part of the province of Potenza. Vulture is a volcano that has been extinct for thousands of years. It is a reality rich in contrasts that will make your head spin. Southern Italy is caught between the past and present and its young people want to determine their own destiny. Their choice is between leaving and seeking their fortune elsewhere or to stay and reverse the mentality that it is useless to try to do anything because “nothing ever changes”.
A change is nevertheless underway and it will make turning back impossible and the “Vulture Generation” is an example of this. This is not an association but a group of friends who are all wine producers united by a common goal, to enhance the value of and promote their territory, Vulture, and its leading varietal, Aglianico. And they do this with outstanding passion and it is not by chance that their motto is: volcanic inside.
Eight wineries are involved: Elena Fucci, Basilisco, Martino Vini, Carbone Vini, Grifalco, Musto Carmelitano, Madonna delle Grazie and Bisceglia. “It all started by chance,” says enologist and producer Elena Fucci. “Some three years ago I had as a guest in my winery the journalist and ex-mayor of Barbaresco Giancarlo Montaldo. He had not been to the area for a long time and was curious to see what had changed. And so I called some of my colleagues to organize a wine tasting. I was surprised to see how many wanted to take part and this was the first of many encounters to follow. Each wine came from a different area and differences in such a vast area are a positive thing, considering that the area is more or less the size of Barolo and Barbaresco. At the following Vinitaly I had a vertical tasting organized with Ian D’Agata which we changed into a horizontal of our group’s wines. It was a success and Ian became one of our big supporters and invited us to take part in Collisioni. Since then we have travelled the word to explain our Aglianico, its many nuances and Lucania.”
Aglianico del Vulture is the Barolo of the south and it does not have the typical structure of southern Italian wines. Aglianico is a somewhat difficult varietal that has a late harvest, which takes place between October and November depending on the latitude. It is elegant and austere, both acidic and saline and in cooler years the wine becomes more vertical. The training method is little known and is similar to the one used for tomatoes, using three canes: one fixed and two mobile set depending on the direction of the wind.
I discovered the secret of Vulture Generation over time and after long conversations and it is that of working as a team. The synergies are not at all simple or a foregone conclusion and they had to overcome bias and natural resistance but they intuitively knew what to do and the results are becoming evident. Vulture is now a known and recognized brand. Barile is a small village of Albanian origin where the old folk still speak the Arbereshe dialect and it is where the Basilisco wine estate and the one of Elena Fucci have their home.
Basilisco was founded in 1992 and is part of the Feudi San Gregorio group. It is run by Viviana Malafarina, a Genoa native who became bewitched by Vulture. The 25 hectares of vineyards are organically cultivated and produce mostly Aglianico along with some Fiano. Seven wines are made for a total of 55,000 bottles a year. The wines are made and age in eight caves carved in the tuff stone that have been used for winemaking since 1400.
Elena Fucci is a young enologist who produced just one wine, Titolo, named after the farm, but this year came out with another wine, Anniversario. She has six hectares of vineyards with vines ranging in age from 50 to 75years and she produces 25,000 bottles a year. The winery is a prime example of bio-architecture both in regard to the construction methods employed and materials used, which were either reused or recycled. The structure has a double crawlspace between walls with a system of tubes that run all along the perimeter and are positioned to capture the wind in order to create a thermos effect. The temperature is thus insulated in both summer and winter and there is no need for either air conditioning or heating. The creation of a garden on the roof helped lower the temperature another two degrees. Elena is also the president of the Movimento Turismo del vino della Basilicata.
The Musto Carmelitano estate is in Maschito and was founded in 2007. It is run by siblings Elisabetta and Luigi Carmelitano and Elisabetta stands out for the tenacity and pride she shows when talking about her vineyards. They have 4.5 hectares of vineyards divided between Pian del Moro, Serra del Prete and Vernavà with vines that range in age between 30 and 100 years. The varietals cultivated are Aglianico, Moscato Bianco and Giallo (White and Yellow) and they make seven types of wine for a total of 25,000 bottles. The wine is made in cement vats, they were the first to use them, with absolutely no use of wood.
The Madonna delle Grazie winery was founded in 2003 in Ventosa, named after a local convent, and has Paolo Latorraca as its enologist. The wines are distinguished by their freshness, drinkability and propensity to age. The red Aglianico grape also produces a white off the skins and a rosé. The labels of the wines reflect the history of the area with quotes from Horace, who was a native of Ventosa. There are 8.5 hectares of vineyards that produce 35-40,000 bottles a year.
Grifalco was founded in 2007 in Ventosa by Cecilia Naldoni and the late Fabrizio Piccin. Today their sons Lorenzo and Andrea run the estate and are committed to carrying on their parents’ project. Grifalco is a combination of two symbols dear to the family, the Tuscan griffin and the falcon of Lucania. The winery is environmentally sustainable, entirely made from tuff stone with not refrigeration system but with a belt around the whole structure to naturally regulate the temperature inside. The jewels in their crown are Damaschio and Daginestra, two crus obtain from vineyards 75 and 80 years in age.
The splendid town of Melfi is where siblings Sara and Luca Carbone established their winery in 2005, a dream they gave up their previous careers to achieve. Luca is responsible for the vineyard and the winemaking while Sara travels the world to handle sales and promotion. They own nine hectares of vineyards with vines ranging 15-25 years in age that produce 25,000 bottles a year. The spectacular cave used to mature and age the wines is in the historic center of Melfi and came to light by chance during restoration work. It has previously been used as a quarry.
Carolin Martino and her father Armando run the winery that carries the family name in Rionero in Vulture and was founded in the 1940s. They use grapes from 50 hectares of vineyards, half of which they own and the other half they lease, for a total of 300,000 bottles a year. Carolin is a modern woman (president of the Basilicata Women of Wine association) and has clear ideas on the future of her enterprise. The estate is currently being reorganized.
The final member of the team is the Bisceglia winery run by Michele Bisceglia who has 32 hectares of vineyards with vines 15-25 years of age and produces 120,000 bottles a year. Aside from Aglianico, he also cultivates the international varietals Merlot. Syrah and Chardonnay. Next to the winery is a vast archeological site that dates back to between the VI and V centuries. The winery is a modern structure well-suited for hospitality and even glamour events.
Aglianico del Vulture Titolo 2017 Elena Fucci
95/100 - € 30
Made from Aglianico grapes and matured for 12 months in barriques. The 2017 growing season was one of the best, sumptuous and balanced with the heat and rain coming at the right time. The wine has a ruby color with garnet hues and the complex aroma has scents of red fruit, spice, tobacco and cinnamon. The mouthfeel is full of personality, broad and persistent.
Aglianico del Vulture Pian del Moro 2015 Musto Carmelitano
90/100 - € 18
Made from Aglianico grapes grown in 70-year-old vines and picked by hand. The wine matures for 12 months in stainless steel and 12 months in French oak barrels. It has a ruby color with purple reflections and aromas of red fruit, raspberry and gooseberry. The mouthfeel has a full body and is elegant and persistent.
Aglianico del Vulture Damaschito 2015 Grifalco
95/100 - € 30
Aglianico grapes from the estate cru in Maschito, one of the best-known in Vulture. The wine matures for some two years in barrels and barriques and has a dark, red-ruby color. The bouquet has spice and floral notes and the mouthfeel is elegant, consistent and persistent.
Aglianico del Vulture Gudarrà 2015 Bisceglia
89/100 - € 13
Made from hand-picked Aglianico grapes from pruned spur cordon-trained vines. The wine matures in new barriques and has a ruby-red color with purples reflections. The aroma has scents of red fruit and spice and the mouthfeel is balanced. The name is derived from the local dialect for “enjoy”.
Bottles produced: 20,000.
Aglianico del Vulture Liscone 2014 Madonna delle Grazie
89/100 - € 12
Made with Aglianico grapes from their largest vineyard that has vines with an average age of 50 and that sits at an altitude of 400m above sea level. The grapes are picked by hand and never before the second week in October. The wine matures in wood and has a bright, red-ruby color with aromas of dark fruit and a mouthfeel with structure and elegant tannins.
Aglianico del Vulture Stupor Mundi 2014 Carbone Vini
91/100 - € 20
The Aglianico grapes are from 45-year-old vines on the Pian dell’Incoronata farm and are picked by hand during the third week of October. The wine matures in French-oak barrels, 30% new wood and 70% used, in a tuff stone cave at natural temperatures. It has a red-ruby color and balsamic hints typical of a cool year along with scents of pepper and ripe black cherry while the mouthfeel has body. The name was the nickname of Federico II di Svevia.
Bottles produced: 7,000.
Aglianico del Vulture Superiore Riseva 2013 Martino Vini
92/100 - € 35
Only Aglianico grapes picked by hand during the first ten days of November and matured in barriques for 24-30 months. The weather this year was excellent with light rain. The wine has an intense, ruby-red color and aromas of spice, cacao, vanilla and licorice with a balanced and persistent mouthfeel.
Bottles produced: 1,333 all numbered by hand.
Aglianico del Vulture Superiore Storico 2012 Basilisco
94/100 - € 60
Made from Aglianico grapes from 85-year-old vines trained using the characteristic capanno system (before being acquired the vineyard risked being uprooted) and matured for 12 months in barriques. The wine has an intense ruby color and scents of red fruit with an intense and persistent mouthfeel.
Bottles produced: 1,500
