2013 Elena Fucci Aglianico del Vulture Titolo 750 ml

Galloni’s 15-Vintage Vertical of Elena Fucci’s “Titolo”

The origins of the Aglianico grape date back at least to ancient Greece, and it’s considered the wine grape whose roots stretch back the furthest into our prehistory. Its vines have been spidering through the volcanic soil on the warm slopes of Southern Italy’s Mount Vulture for at least 28 centuries.

In the last decade, critics have acknowledged that it is not only among the oldest but the greatest of Italian grapes, rightfully deserving a place alongside Nebbiolo and Sangiovese. In great vintages, the most powerful expressions hail from Aglianico del Vulture, one of the few DOCs in the Basilicata region. These ancient vines produce wines of incredible structure, sumptuous tannic depth, and a savory, robust character.

Wineries such as D’Angelo, Cantine del Notaio, and Basilisco have long been considered the gold standard in the world of Aglianico del Vulture. They have consistently grabbed the top scores and Aglianico’s very limited restaurant placements, with bottles presenting terrific textural richness and lush fruit notes layered with campfire smokiness. But in recent years, the small, fourth-generation winery run by Elena Fucci has crafted some of the most breathtaking interpretations of this varietal we’ve EVER tasted.

Elena Fucci’s estate is steeped in history; the dozen acres of vineyards are the oldest on Mount Vulture. Elena’s grandfather Generoso first tended them in the 1960s and the octogenarian still assists in the fields. The 70-year-old vines thrust deep into the mineral-rich pozzolanic soil, layered with lapilli, ash, and clay from the now-dormant volcano. Flanked by the Tyrrhenian and Ionian Seas and shouldered by mountain massifs, the area is cool year-round but receives abundant sunshine during the growing season, balanced by chilly Balkan breezes sweeping across the Adriatic. The grapes are late-ripening, among the last to be harvested in Europe, thick-skinned with high natural acidity.

Fucci makes only one wine under her Titolo label from these carefully tended vineyards on the slopes of the volcano. That focus shows in an astounding consistency that hardly loses a step, even in weaker vintages like 2002 and 2003. The buzz around Fucci’s “Titolo” had been getting steadily louder, but then Antonio Galloni’s Vinous went ahead and blew the top off in its most recent issue.

Describing a vertical tasting of every vintage produced since the winery’s start in 2000, Galloni’s Vinous hailed Aglianico as “potentially one of the world’s — not just Italy’s — greatest wines,” adding that “no single bottling demonstrates its quality better than the Titolo.” The superlatives continued: “It helps that the Titolo vineyard is probably the best vineyard of the Vulture denominazione, a true Grand Cru (if such classification existed in Italy!) uniquely blessed with a fresh microclimate.”

Of the 15 vintages tasted in the Vinous review, the 2013 “Titolo” impressed the most. The 95+ point rave is one of the more flattering reviews we’ve come across this year:

“Bright ruby. Piercing aromas of sour red cherry, blackcurrant, violet and lavender. Dense, sweet and complex on the palate, with very pure smoky berry, mineral, plum, tar and Oriental spice flavors conveying a refined, steely quality. The finish is long and pure, with mineral and floral notes repeating. A wine of remarkable balance and finesse, the 2013 manages the neat trick of being very powerful and concentrated yet refined and suave at the same time. Absolutely gorgeous wine.”

As Antonio Galloni’s Vinous accurately calls it: “One of Italy’s greatest red wines.” Now that the secret’s out, it won’t be around for much longer. $50 on release, $36 today. Just 300 bottles are up for grabs. Shipping included on 4.