Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The top shelf wine in the Paternoster portfolio is the 2013 Aglianico del Vulture Don Anselmo. This very attractive and elegant vintage reveals a beautiful bouquet with extremely chiseled and focused fruit. The cool growing season results in bright aromas of dark berry, spice, licorice and campfire ash. There is a tangy element, too, with grilled herb and rosemary essence. This full-bodied wine is robust and amply structured at the back. This vintage is superior to 2015 in terms of linearity and sharpness. The 2016 vintage should enjoy an exceptionally long period of bottle evolution and aging.
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James Suckling
Fascinating aromas of licorice, lavender and burnt orange follow through to a full body and firm, silky tannins. Vivid, intense finish. The tannins are almost resolved, the fruit fresh and the aftertaste complex. Drink now and enjoy.
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Wine Spectator
Harmonious and medium- to full-bodied, with a fresh tang of smoky minerality underscoring the crushed mulberry and black raspberry fruit flavors. Subtle accents of Earl Grey tea and licorice linger on the firm, focused finish. Drink now through 2028.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The Paternoster’s flagship bottling, the 2013 Don Anselmo checks in as 100% Aglianico brought up in equal parts larger Slovenian oak barrels and French oak. Black cherries, dark chocolate, dried earth, and obvious oak all emerge from the glass, and it gains depth, purity, and fruit with air. Possessing fine, polished tannin, impeccable balance, and a great finish, give this outstanding Aglianico 2-3 years and enjoy over the following decade.
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.