Winemaker Notes
#80 Vinous Top 100 of 2025
Smoke leads to sandalwood and herb infused flavors of raspberry jam and green olives. A long finish promoted by volcanic soils and high altitude Aglianico vineyards offers the most complex varietal example from the region.
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
The 2021 Aglianico del Vulture Titolo 25th Anniversary requires an extended amount of time open in either bottle or decanter before truly revealing its charms. A collage of sweet herbs, crushed rocks, underbrush, black olives and wild berries greets the senses with a tilt of the glass. This is luxuriously smooth, with a balanced inner sweetness and a cascade of mineral tones giving way to balsamic-infused blackberries and tart cherries. It leaves a tinge of sour citrus and rosemary to offset cheek-puckering tension and edgy tannins, finishing.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Now that Elena Fucci's portfolio of wines is becoming more comprehensive (growing from one wine to four with a rosé, an amphorae-aged wine and a second Aglianico called Sceg), she has come to call this wine her "classico" expression. Indeed, the 2021 Aglianico del Vulture Titolo is classic Elena Fucci and is the wine you should buy if you love her signature style. It opens to sweet aromas that come from the velvety ripeness of the fruit but also from careful oak aging. Baked plum, rum cake and dried trial mix with honey granola appear on the bouquet. Titolo finishes very long and is driven by acidic freshness and a grippy quality of tannins that is typical of this grape. In this case, the tannins are not too dry, and there is enough power to drive future bottle evolution.
Rating: 94+ -
James Suckling
Aromas of tarry black fruit lifted by pepperiness. Juicy and tightly wound, with a full body and a lengthy, fine-boned finish. Drink now or hold.
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Wine Enthusiast
The nose is primarily savory, with aromas of balsamic, mushrooms, earth and stone, but medicinal undertones and a drizzle of black-cherry syrup provide nuance. The palate also skews savory at first, but lingering notes of cherry and herbs eventually take center stage. Aggressive acid hurls spicy punches at the dusty tannins.
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.
Inhabiting the arch of Italy’s boot, this southern, mountainous region has a relatively small amount of vineyard area under vine. Basilicata has one DOCG for its prized red grape, Aglianico, Aglianico del Vulture Superior, which is limited to the slopes of an extinct volcano. The best whites are made of Malvasia bianca.