2019 Elena Fucci 'Titolo' Aglianico del Vulture Superiore Riserva

“Wine lovers owe it to themselves to hunt down Fucci’s knockout Aglianico del Vulture Titolo, as it ranks with the best that Italy has to offer. ” – Vinous

FUCCI! And not just any, the fairest of them all: Titolo RISERVA.

For Vinous, this vintage you’re looking at is the highest-rated Aglianico ever and they explain why: “There are moments in life when you immediately realize you have stumbled upon something or someone special. And so it was for me when I first met Fucci… I have followed the Elena Fucci wines from the very beginning, and I find them to be powerful yet remarkably refined, with deep aromas and flavors of red cherry, minerals, and botanical herbs obvious in most vintages. The oak is always marvelously integrated. While the wines undoubtedly reflect each vintage’s unique conditions, they also always display a suave mouthfeel that is Titolo’s true signature. The rustic notes that plague many of the Vulture’s other Aglianico bottlings are notably absent… Wine lovers owe it to themselves to hunt down Fucci’s knockout Aglianico del Vulture Titolo, as it ranks with the best that Italy has to offer.”

And in a vintage assessment for Aglianico del Vulture, they describe “Two thousand-nineteen was a warm vintage, but also a crop that was reduced between 10-15% due to turbulent weather throughout the spring, which caused an uneven budding and late flowering. The summer was warm yet balanced with wide diurnal shifts, also aided by a buildup of water supplies from spring rains. I am very excited to see what the bigger wines of 2019 will yield, as they have a balance of radiant fruit and grippy tannins that make them very attractive, yet also geared for a broad and long drinking window.”

Intimidated by Aglianico and Vulture? In an ode to this unique variety, Eric Asimov of The New York Times states that “Among its many charms, Aglianico is versatile, able to make wines that are delicious when young as well as those that can benefit from years, even decades, in the cellar. In his painstaking book Native Wine Grapes of Italy, Ian d’Agata wrote of Aglianico: ‘Along with Nebbiolo and Sangiovese, it is generally believed to be one of Italy’s three best wine grapes, but in my opinion, it is far more: At the very least, it’s one of the world’s dozen or so best wine grapes.’ Aglianico is mostly associated in the United States with the Campania region in southern Italy, which forms a rough semicircle inland from the Tyrrhenian Sea, encompassing Naples, Pompeii, the Amalfi Coast, Salerno and Paestum. But it also thrives in the neighboring region of Basilicata, and I have long contended that the Aglianicos of Vulture in Basilicata have the potential to equal the best Aglianicos of Campania.”

For us, it has been a moving target. Took A LOT to get you this small allocation at the best price possible. Mind you, it’s minuscule, so if supply doesn’t meet demand, who knows when, no make that if ever, we can source more… seize the Friday!

98+ Points – Vinous “Elena Fucci is a force. I first met her at a conference in 2021. At the time, Aglianico del Vulture was still new to me, and I had yet to be impressed by a wine from the region. On that day, we tasted her 2012 Titolo, and I listened to a story about a young girl who sought to save her family winery, changed her entire life to learn oenology, and went against convention in a male-dominated industry to show the world what this little corner of Italy was capable of producing. The wine blew me away, and so did her enthusiasm, which, to this day, continues to move the Elena Fucci winery (and the entire region of Vulture) forward. The Fucci winery is located in Barile at 600 meters in elevation, surrounded by the 7.5-hectare Titolo vineyard. This is the same vineyard and, in many cases, the same vines that her great-grandfather planted and her father worked decades ago. While some expansion and replanting have taken place out of necessity, the portfolio remains entirely focused on Titolo, from the Pink” Rosé, to the Aglianico del Vulture, the Superiore, the Titolo in Amphora and the Riserva. Elena Fucci’s style mixes the Old World with the New with the discreet use of oak in her carbon-neutral cellar. The family continues to be a center focus, with her husband at her side and her father still involved in the vineyards. As for Elena Fucci herself, beyond winemaking, she has worked to become a symbol for the region and its potential, not only concerned with her production and success but also with the success of all producers that bottle Aglianico del Vulture. The cooperation and communication between the smaller producers of Vulture is admirable, and much of it centers around Fucci’s charismatic attitude and constant focus on the region's future. As for the wines, they have never been better, yet what truly floored me was a taste of Fucci’s first vintage: the 2000 Aglianico del Vulture. How could the first wine she ever made still be so classy and full of life? For Fucci, 2004 is the first vintage that shows her refined style over the last 20 years, having matured the wine in a combination of tonneaux and 200-liter barriques. That said, the 2019 Riserva is hands down one of the best wines I have tasted in Italy this year, followed by the 2020 Superiore, which transcends the warm character of the vintage. Titolo by Amphora remains one of my favorites - this wine has made me love the combination of clay and Aglianico. Drop-dead gorgeous, the kaleidoscopic 2019 Aglianico del Vulture Superiore Riserva Titolo seduces with a cascade of violets and lavender, giving way to shavings of pine, incense and a core of crushed black cherries. It's deeply textural, with masses of mineral-inflected red and black fruit flowing across a stream of pure velvet. The 2019 folds in upon itself through the finale yet maintains exceptional freshness, finishing with a pleasantly bitter tinge of cocoa as notes of tobacco fade. The Titolo Riserva hails only from Elena Fucci's oldest vines, between 60 and 70 years old. It is refined in a single 500-liter barrel for 40 months. This edition marries the majesty of the Titolo vineyard and its old vines with the magic of the 2019 vintage. Fantastic. Drink 2027-2038.”