Wine & Spirits - June 2021 - 60

Focus
Southern Italy
Indigenous Reds
BA S I L I C A TA
524683

94 | Elena Fucci

$87

2017 Aglianico del Vulture Titolo by
Amphora ^ In the 1960s, Generoso Fucci
bought a choice vineyard in Contrada
Solagna del Titolo, at an altitude of 2,100 feet
on the slope of Vulture, Basilicata's extinct
volcano. The family sold its fruit to local
producers and were considering a sale of the
vineyard in 2000 when Generoso's granddaughter, Elena, announced her intention
to study enology. The Elena Fucci label was
born that year, and by 2004 Elena had taken
over winemaking. She began with just one
wine, Titolo, which she ages in French oak
barriques, and in the 2017 vintage Fucci has
added Titolo by Amphora. She selected the
oldest vines' grapes from the 14.8-acre Titolo
vineyard and fermented the berries whole in
an untreated 700-liter terracotta amphora.
After pressing, the wine aged in the same
amphora for 18 months. While Fucci's aglianico typically shows floral aromas and fresh
fruit flavors, amphora aging seems to have
enhanced these characteristics; the wine
exudes scents of violet and lavender, and
the purple fruit tones feel nakedly pure and
vibrant, the juicy blackberry flavors riding on
bristly black tannins layered with cool graphite notes. This is an exciting expression of
aglianico in 2017 and a wine to follow in the
coming vintages. § Enotec, Denver, CO
524679

93 | Elena Fucci

92 | Musto Carmelitano

$28

2015 Aglianico del Vulture Pian del Moro ^
Elisabetta Musto Carmelitano is another face
WINE & SPIRITS

of the new generation coming to the fore in
Basilicata. Her family had been growing
grapes for four generations, making some
wine but primarily selling the fruit. Elisabetta
began establishing the family label in 2007
with her brother Luigi, and with the help of
their father and uncle. They now farm 17
acres of vines, including the Piano del Moro
plot, where vines averaging 80 years of age
yielded a densely concentrated and fiercely
tannic wine in the 2015 vintage. Initially
reticent, the wine opens with several days
of exposure to air, revealing rich blackberry
fruit layered with notes of crushed herbs, the
flavors sculpted by rigid mineral tannins.
Hide it in the cellar for a few years to allow
that intense concentration and structure to
soften. § North Berkeley Imports, Berkeley, CA
524685

92 | Musto Carmelitano

$28

2016 Aglianico del Vulture Serra del Prete ^
The aglianico vines in Musto Carmelitano's
Serra del Prete plot average 55 years of age,
and they produced a wine in the 2016 growing season that is meaty and savory, its blackberry fruit tones edged with mortared herbs
and underscored by dark, schisty tannins. §
North Berkeley Imports, Berkeley, CA

supported by cool, mineral tannins and
accented by notes of graphite. It's a lively
young aglianico that would benefit from
more time in the cellar, but is highly enjoyable now for its brightness and verve. § North
Berkeley Imports, Berkeley, CA
524678

90 | Elena Fucci

$30

90 | Musto Carmelitano

$22

2018 Aglianico del Vulture Sceg ^ In 2016,
Elena Fucci purchased some fruit from four
nonagenarian friends of her grandfather and
began experimenting with making wine from
a vineyard other than her own. This 2018
is her first release of Sceg, a local word for
pomegranate, which is a symbol of fertility
and good luck. Although it's more rustic than
her Titolo, Sceg shows impressive concentration and acidity. The product of 70-year-old
vines, its smoke-tinged flavors of blackberry
and licorice maintained freshness for four
days after the bottle was opened. § Enotec,
Denver, CO
524680
2017 Aglianico del Vulture Maschitano
Rosso (Best Buy) ^ The 2017 Maschitano
opens with a blast of ripe blackberry and
raspberry, then takes on notes of dried plum
with exposure to air. It feels broader and riper
than the 2016 (also recommended here), its
fruit tones balanced by notes of dried herbs
and a pleasant amaro bitterness. § North Berkeley Imports, Berkeley, CA

C AL ABRIA

$58

2018 Aglianico del Vulture Titolo ^ Elena
Fucci's oak-aged Titolo feels darker and
denser than her amphora-aged wine, the
tannins more polished and the flavors more
reticent. The blackberry fruit tones gain
vibrancy with exposure to air, remaining taut
and precise as subtle notes of smoke, crushed
herbs and spice emerge. The wine was still
fresh and lively four days after the bottle was
opened, indicating plenty of aging potential. §
Enotec, Denver, CO
524686

60

Our blind panels tasted 199 new-release
Southern Italian Reds for this issue.
Stephanie Johnson, our critic for Italian
wines, rated 55 as exceptional (90+) and
33 as Best Buys. Find a complete list of
wines tasted and all reviews at
wineandspiritsmagazine.com.

JUNE 2021

524684

91 | Musto Carmelitano

$22

2016 Aglianico del Vulture Maschitano
Rosso (Best Buy) ^ Fruit for this wine comes
from the family's younger vines, all grown
near the town of Maschito. This wine offers
blackberry flavors that are juicy and pure,

524810

88 | Statti

$18

2019 Calabria Gaglioppo (Best Buy) ^ This
lively gaglioppo is bursting with flavors of
http://www.wineandspiritsmagazine.com http://www.northberkeleyimports.com/wordpress/project/azienda-agricola-musto-carmelitano/ https://www.wine.com/product/statti-calabria-gaglioppo-2019/679611
Wine & Spirits - June 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Wine & Spirits - June 2021
