IF I WERE to bet on which region in Italy will be the next to make a leap in quality, I would put my money on Basilicata. Many signs point to the potential of this small region in southern Italy: its excellent terroir, beautiful exposures, and long winemaking tradition are just a few. Basilicata, however, has been hindered by the limited number of entrepreneurial winemakers interested in taking their farmhouse wines to the next level. At least on two fronts, the situation is changing: Investors from outside the region have chosen Basilicata as a new frontier for growth, and young, local wineries are taking the first steps toward modernizing their winemaking process.
Another telltale sign that Basilicata is positioned to come out on top is that the region is blessed with a strong, adaptable, and trustworthy grape variety: aglianico. This red wine grape is the backbone of southern Italian winemaking; from Molise to Campania to Basilicata, aglianico has produced great results in a myriad of wineries. It has assumed an important role in the economy of a large part of southern Italy, and for this reason, aglianico is often described as the nebbiolo of the south. The primary production zones are Campania, on the slopes of Vesuvio, the area of Taurasi, and in Basilicata, especially in the area around Mount Vulture, which is not far from the capital city of Potenza. Aglianico is strangely attracted to the volcanic rock soil that is present in these two zones. Another way in which aglianico is compared with nebbiolo is that it has the ability to age for a long time. Aglianico can age longer than all the other great red wine grapes of southern Italy—longer than montepulciano in Abruzzo, primitivo in Puglia, and nero d’Avola in Sicily. In Basilicata, the winery that is truly paving the way for aglianico is Elena Fucci.
Elena is very young (twenty-eight years old with a degree in enology), she produces only one wine (Aglianico di Vulture), and she is dedicated to natural winemaking practices. In other words, she is the future of this area. Leveraging what her grandfather and father had taught her about growing grapes, Elena modernized the winemaking process by increasing vineyard density and aging in barriques. Elena’s approach allowed her to bring out the characteristic aspects of aglianico while improving the wine. Currently the winery produces a few thousand bottles of pure Aglianico from a single cru. Italian critics are happy with Elena’s wine, and the public is slowly coming to recognize her name. Only time will tell what is to become of Basilicata, but I am ready to bet on it—and her.
The Fucci family winery is located in the small town of Barile, in the province of Potenza, in the northernmost section of Basilicata, not far from the borders with Puglia (to the north and east) and Campania (to the west). The landscape is dominated by the ancient volcano of Vulture, which lends its name to a vast area of more than 111,000 acres. This subregion is known for its low number of inhabitants, its unspoiled countryside, and its long agricultural tradition: Grapes and olives have been grown on the mountain slopes in the nearby valleys since time immemorial. The volcanic soil and favorable climate—cool, ventilated summers; not particularly harsh winters; and an abundance of water—set the stage for quality agriculture. Barile is the main production center of Aglianico del Vulture and is home to many of the most famous wineries in Basilicata. Titolo, the name of Fucci’s wine, comes from a vineyard in the district of Solagna, just outside the town’s center. The vineyard is 9 acres in size and is planted with very old vines that are cared for naturally, without the use of chemical fertilizers.
In the past, the Vulture basin has witnessed difficult times because of its isolation and delayed industrialization compared with other areas of southern Italy. In recent years, Fiat, Italy’s largest car manufacturing company, built one of the biggest factories in Europe in Basilicata, breathing life back into the local economy and creating conditions for the future growth of the region. When guided by farsighted entrepreneurs like Fucci, even local agriculture has a chance of becoming an important part of the future of Basilicata. Aglianico and the Grande Punto—the most famous car manufactured in the Fiat factory in Menfi—are destined to become the two symbols of Basilicata, representing a balance between rural activity and industrial development.
For the moment, Elena Fucci produces one wine from one grape variety: Aglianico del Vulture Titolo from aglianico. All the family’s resources and attention are focused on this type of wine and this cultivar. Elena’s approach to winemaking seems to be working. Titolo could easily be at the top of the list of “second generation” Aglianico wines, or those that began to be made in the past ten to fifteen years with modern winemaking techniques. In terms of modern winemaking, however, we should be more clear: The Fucci wine is certainly modern in terms of conception (barriques are used to age the wine because of the limited space in the cellar for large barrels), but it fully respects the classic canons of Aglianico.
Aglianico del Vulture Titolo is dark ruby red in color with garnet tones. On the nose, it is an explosion of ripe red fruit, sweet spices, and dried flowers, with notes of oak. In the mouth, the wine is a real gem and is the key to understanding Aglianico deep down. Strong, round, and slightly austere, Titolo has serious tannins that, paired with its acidity, allow the wine to age for years and years. The long, perfectly balanced, and fruity, floral finish of the wine is another one of its strengths. A rising star in southern Italian enology, Aglianico del Vulture Titolo pleases wine drinkers both when it’s in its youth and when it’s in its old age.