Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Vinous
Mentholated herbs and balsamic spice give way to cedar shavings, crushed wild blueberries and hints of smoke as the 2020 Aglianico Bocca di Lupo slowly comes to life in the glass. This is deeply intense and complex. Silken textures envelop the palate with waves of elegant black fruits, offset by a tinge of sour citrus as grippy tannins mount toward the close. It finishes staining, long and pleasantly bitter, leaving notes of tart blackberry, licorice and violet inner florals. While already enjoyable on its potential alone, the 2020 deserves cellaring. This is easily on par with a top Taurasi or Aglianico del Vulture.
-
Wine Spectator
A pure beam of black cherry fruit forms a core of expressive flavors in this fresh, graceful red, laced with Earl Grey tea, graphite, pomegranate seed and vanilla accents. Shows fine equilibrium and length, expanding nicely on the palate. This is framed by supple tannins that firm the long, spiced finish. Drink now through 2035.
Making its home in the mountainous southern Italy, Aglianico is a bold red variety that is late to ripen and often spends until November on the vine. It thrives in Campania as the exclusive variety in the age-worthy red wine called Taurasi. Aglianico also has great success in the volcanic soils of Basilicata where it makes the robust, Aglianico del Vulture. Somm Secret—The name “Aglianico” bears striking resemblance to Ellenico, the Italian word for "Greek," but no evidence shows it has Greek ancestry. However, it first appeared in Italy around an ancient Greek colony located in present-day Avellino, Campania.
Well-suited to the production of concentrated, fruity and spicy red varieties, Puglia is one of Italy’s warmest, most southerly regions. Its entire eastern side is one long coastline bordering the Adriatic Sea. About half way down, the region becomes the Salento Peninsula. This peninsula, bordered by water on three sides, receives moist, nighttime, sea breezes that bring a welcome cooling effect to the region, where little rain creates a challenging environment for its vines. In fact, the region is named for the Italian expression, “a pluvia,” meaning “lack of rain.”
Puglia’s Mediterranean climate and iron-rich, calcareous soils support the indigenous Primitivo, Negroamaro and Nero di Troia. Primitivo produces an inky, spicy, brambly and ripe red wine whose best expression comes from Manduria. Nero di Troia produces tannic, rustic reds from Castel del Monte DOC while Negroamaro, typically blended with Malvasia nera, plays a large part in may blends made throughout the peninsula.
Puglia produces a small amount of white wines as well, predominantly made of the fruity, Trebbiano Toscano, or light, Bombino bianco grapes.