Vigneti del Vulture Pipoli Aglianico 2019  £13.46

VIGNETI DEL VULTURE PIPOLI AGLIANICO

Valentino Sciotti (of Vesevo, Gran Sasso and other Farnese estates) took over this small co-operative in Basilicata in Acerenza in the heart of the Aglianico del Vulture zone in 2008. Consultant winemaker Alberto Antonini works with Manuel Barbone, and together they manage to capture the character of the grapes and the zone superbly in the bottle.

The estate vineyards are low trained and planted on volcanic soils on the slopes of Mount Vulture, at an altitude of up to 800 metres above sea level. According to the consultant winemaker Alberto Antonini, the area is isolated and uncontaminated, just like stepping back in time.

On arrival at the winery, the grapes were destemmed and gently crushed, then the must was fermented in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks at temperatures between 22-24°C. Frequent and gentle pumping over took place during fermentation and maceration, which lasted approximately 30 days. The wine was then aged in stainless steel tanks (60%) and in used oak barriques (40%) for 10 months, and then bottle aged for a further three months.

This wine is garnet red in colour. The nose has layered, highly complex aromas of violets and cocoa. Full bodied, the wine has a sweet red fruit character with delicate oak nuances and persistent fruit notes through to the finish.