An Absolute Gorgeous and Unique Italian Wine From Elena Fucci

by Gary Faust

We are always interested in exploring wines of character or those which are unique. We especially like relatively obscure and distinctive varietals, because we are that store which stocks those kind of wines. On March 16^th, winemaker Elena Fucci visited us at the store and surprised us by bringing a vertical of her Titolo wines. Her family’s vineyard is small (less than 15 acres) and Elena focuses on a single wine only- Aglianico Del Vulture. Production is also quite small and only 100 cases are brought into California. We tasted the 2009 -2012 vintages of her wine, which was a treat.

We were impressed by the passion Elena has for her family and her wine. She is from the youngest of four generations of her family to farm their plot of land. Her 89 year old grandfather, Salvatore is still involved and wakes up at 5:00 AM each morning to go out in the fields and tend to the vines. The vines have an average age of 65 years, which results in low yields and high quality.

Aglianico is a unique grape found in only a few appellations in southern Italy, most notably in

the appellations of Taurasi and Aglianico Del Vulture. The grapes are an intense blue color, yielding a wine which can be quite structured and capable of aging. Elena’s vineyard is located at the highest altitude in the appellation at 600 meters and the vines benefit from true dormancy in winter when they shut down as protection against the snow that blankets the vineyard.

The soil is something you can barely call soil as it consists mainly of charcoal gray volcanic rock; the remnants of eruptions from Mount Vulture. The marriage of Aglianico grapes with the volcanic soils produce a visceral minerality. A smoky undertone frames the red fruit, tobacco and incense notes characteristic of these wines, which are sometimes referred to as the “Barolo of the South.”

The wines of Elena Fucci all exhibited “typicity”, which is a word wine geeks like us use to describe the degree to which a wine reflects the characteristic flavors and structure of the grape variety from which it was produced. In other words, these wines were excellent examples of what a quality wine made from Aglianico should taste like. In particular, we came away with an appreciation for the finesse and approachability of the Elena Fucci wines. They were not walled off by tannins, although they were certainly age-worthy and showed how the progression of time makes these wines even more beautiful. The current release is the 2012 vintage, which should be fun to watch evolve over the next decade.

As Elena said,” "We only work with our own grapes, which we grow with care. This is because we want to obtain a precious wine, full of quality and passion. This is our philosophy. That is the reason for using only a single label, and producing only a single product.” Indeed, Elena and her family do one thing and they do it well: bravo!

 

 ELENA FUCCI TITOLO 2012 AGLIANICO DEL VULTURE

Elena Fucci’s 2012 Aglianico Del Vulture is absolutely gorgeous. Deep ruby in color fading to a garnet rim. The nose is full and complex, with notes of roses, red berries and grilled herbs along with smoke and baking spices. On the palate, the wine is fresh, vibrant and full-bodied with flavors of red currants, cherry, rosemary, tobacco, cinnamon and vanilla. The balance of fruit, acidity and structure is excellent culminating with a very long finish. This wine is youthful and will only get better with time.

$44.95 750ml [301460]