A wonderful find: Tenuta I Gelsi

We have a cap on the number of estates in our Essential Guide to Italian wine and it is not easy to be included. Here I would like to talk about a producer we discovered during a tasting of wines from Basilicata and while they did not make it into the guide this year, they will certainly be in next year’s edition if they maintain the level of quality we discovered.

Tenuta I Gelsi is in Rionero I Vulture, one of the best towns for wine in the appellation. The estate was founded by Pasquale Bafunno and Ruggero Potito who decided to enhance the value of their family’s holdings. They have some 10 hectares of vineyards including a parcel of about a hectare where the vines are 40 years old. The winery is spacy, modern and very functional with temperature-controlled vats and barrels made with different types of wood and a vast array of sizes.

The main grape grown here is obviously Aglianico but they have two hectares of vineyards that are situated at a higher altitude where the air is cooler and it is here that they cultivate the grapes for a white based on Malvasia grapes that is truly interesting and is one of the best in the region. The vineyards where the Aglianico is grown has a lava and chalk substrata that gives the wine an excellent elegance. This is especially true for their Aglianico DOCG which always has particularly tame tannins.

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