Aglianinco: Taurasi & Aglianico del Vulture

What is a ‘noble’ grape variety? It must make wine that has attractive, strong, and distinctive flavors, and that ages well. Judged by these qualities Aglianico is one of the three or four best red wine varieties in Italy, and one of the best anywhere; I drank a 1968 Mastroberardino Taurasi when it was about 50 years old, too old for most of the world’s classic red wines, and it was vivid, exciting, excellent, and extremely distinctive, one of the best wines I’ve drunk in more than 40 years in the wine business. (Thank you Doug Polaner for sharing such a historic bottle.) 

Aglianico is a thick-skinned grape variety that ripens late in the year; in some parts of the Taurasi zone it is harvested in early November. It is sometimes grown at high altitude for a red variety, Perillo’s vineyards for example are at slightly over 500 meters (1,650 feet) above sea level, which helps with retention of acidity during this very long ripening period. The same is true of Grifalco’s vineyards in Vulture, all at high altitude. Wines made from Aglianico show aromas and flavors of red or black fruits (cherry, plum, strawberry), depending on the growing area, and clear spice and herbal notes, such as bay leaf, licorice, baking chocolate, and tea-leaves, and sometimes hints of violet. Fresh acidity reinforces these flavors, Aglianico having relatively high acidity for such a big red wine.

Taurasi is one of Italy’s best red wines, very different in structure and flavors from other stars, such as Barolo. It is grown around the little town of Taurasi, a bit more than an hour east of Naples, in the region of Campania; it is normally made entirely of the Aglianico variety, grown in mostly volcanic soils at 350-500 meters or more above sea level. Taurasi is famously age-worthy; indeed, given the natural structure of the grape, the challenge is to make wines that are at least somewhat drinkable when younger. (The Mastroberardino bottlings of the late ‘60s must have been bruisers when first bottled, given how long they have lasted.) The best modern Taurasi bottlings are still big wines, but surprisingly approachable when young; long maceration and aging in large barrels succeeds in rounding out the considerable tannins typical of the variety. (The tendency to try to soften Taurasi with new French barriques is going away, fortunately, as it has in other famous Italian appellations such as Barolo.) If you are looking to drink the wines young I  would start with a declassified Taurasi such as the Aglianico Irpina from Contrade di Taurasi, which is vinified so as to be approachable younger, in the same way that the better Langhe Nebbiolo bottlings are a preview of Barolo.

Taurasi has different growing areas within the appellation that produce wines with varying characteristics. The wines from around Taurasi itself, such as those of Contrade di Taurasi, are classic examples, not surprisingly, with average structure for the appellation (moderate tannins and acidity). They are grown at around 350 meters above sea-level, whereas the vineyards farmed by Michele Perillo near Castelfranci in the SE corner of the Taurasi appellation are around 500 meters above sea level, which is very high for red wine grape-growing. The combination of higher altitude and more clay in the soil makes for bigger tannins and higher acidity, and these wines are often picked in early November. Perillo releases his wines some years later than Contrade di Taurasi in order to give the wine time to round out in the bottle.

Aglianico di Vulture is the second important area for the production of high-quality Aglianico, after Taurasi. It’s in Basilicata, at the border with Campania, only about ninety minutes drive east of Taurasi. Vulture is less well known than Taurasi; until recently many Vulture producers were making wines that were either too rustic or too oaky, and it’s hard to understand the potential of any region until there is a critical mass of good wines, preferably made in a transparent style (neither oaky nor overly rustic). But there is great potential here, and the best Vulture wines are some of Italy’s most interesting and age-worthy red wines. Both Taurasi and Vulture are influenced by volcanic soil in varying degree, and Monte Vulture is an extinct volcano. The ‘zoning’ of Vulture is not talked about much, but there are areas that show more of the ‘wet char’ volcanic character, rather like the Lacryma Christi wines from the slopes of Mount Vesuvius, and wines that show less of it. Grifalco’s vineyards are further away from the volcano and show attractive hints of this smokiness, more in line with many wines from Taurasi. There are identified ‘contrada’ areas within the Vulture area, but they don’t seem to be used much, and our producer Grifalco uses the names of nearby villages (Ginestra and Maschito) instead. All of Grifalco’s vineyards contain some volcanic ash, combined with calcareous and sandy components. Although the variety is the same as in Taurasi, Aglianico, the biotype is different, and when vineyards are replanted the biotype difference must be respected. (See d’Agata for detailed discussion of Aglianico biotypes.) As in Taurasi, the altitude of the vineyards affects the character of the wines grown there; most Vulture wines are grown between 450-600 meters above sea level, high for red wines, and comparable to the higher vineyards in the Taurasi area. This altitude means that the climate is effectively cooler, and the grapes are harvested typically in late October.

Sources:

Native Wine Grapes of Italy, Ian d’Agata (book)

Italy’s Native Wine Grape Terroirs, d’Agata (book) excellent discussion of ‘zonazione’ in both Taurasi and Aglianico del Vulture, a real rabbit-hole of detail

The Wines of Campania - Paradise Lost and Regained (website article)