Winemaker Notes
Joaquin's Aglianico holdings are the stuff of legend: 1.2 hectares of ungrafted pre-phylloxera vines between 150 and 200 years of age, trained high above the ground and spaced widely, with gnarled trunks and vast arms that reach across the rows. This astonishing parcel is located in the commune of Paternopoli, in the Taurasi appellation’s southernmost and coolest subzone. Raffaele produces a Taurasi DOCG only in certain vintages. In other vintages, he produces this declassified wine: “I Viaggiatori” (“The Travelers”), a gutsy but finesse-driven Aglianico. Aged in used oak barrels following a 15-day maceration in old open-top wooden casks, it combines tangy, resonant acidity with dark cherry fruit, and while the tannins are a bit punchy as per the variety, the lingering impression is one of freshness.
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
The 2021 Aglianico I Viaggiatori slowly blossoms in the glass, at first coy and restrained. Coaxing reveals a pretty bouquet of blackberries and spice, dusty violets and a hint of camphor. It is silken in feel, with polished red berry fruits driven by juicy acidity, as a pleasantly tart saturation of dark chocolate and cedar adds tension toward the close. The 2021 shuts down hard through the finish, potent yet tannic, as nuances of black tea and licorice prevail and a lovely inner sweetness lingers. While intended to be a more accessible wine from the Joaquin selection, the 2021 has the power and complexity for medium-term cellaring.
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.
A winemaking renaissance is underfoot in Campania as more and more small, artisan and family-run wineries redefine their style with vineyard improvements and cellar upgrades. The region boasts a cool Mediterranean climate with extreme coastal, as well as high elevation mountain terroirs. It is cooler than one might expect in Campania; the region usually sees some of the last harvest dates in Italy.
Just south of Mount Vesuvio, the volcanic and sandy soils create aromatic and fresh reds based on Piedirosso and whites, made from Coda di Volpe and Falanghina. Both reds and whites go by the name, Lacryma Christi, meaning the "tears of Christ." South of Mount Vesuvio, along the Amalfi Coast, the white varieties of Falanghina and Biancolella make fresh, flirty, mineral-driven whites, and the red Piedirosso and Sciasinoso vines, which cling to steeply terraced coastlines, make snappy and ripe red wines.
Farther inland, as hills become mountains, the limestone soil of Irpinia supports the whites Fiano di Avellino, Falanghina and Greco di Tufo as well as the most-respected red of the south, Aglianico. Here the best and most age-worthy examples come from Taurasi.
Farther north and inland near the city of Benevento, the Taburno region also produces Aglianico of note—called Aglianico del Taburno—on alluvial soils. While not boasting the same heft as Taurasi, these are also reliable components of any cellar.