Many of us have said this for a long time when it comes to red wine, but it warrants repeating: bigger is not better, it is exhausting. And it is limiting. The only occasions calling for a fiercely tannic, highly extracted, potently alcoholic red typically involve proteins that are on my cardiologist’s “avoid” list.
This wine feels like a new standard for excellence in the age of creeping alcohol and astringency.
This has been on my mind a lot lately, as I have just returned from back-to-back trips to Piedmont and Tuscany, where Nebbiolo and Sangiovese respectively have been reaching rather extreme levels of alcohol thanks to the drought that ran from 2021 through 2022 in much of northern Italy. The best producers are handling this problem just fine, but many are not, and in some cases, it is diluting the overall quality of some key DOCGs.
Which makes this wine — Grifalco’s 2019 “Damaschito” Aglianico del Vulture Superiore — so interesting. For one, we are way south with this wine, in the isolated and sparsely populated region of Basilicata. Here, volcanic terroir and the slow-ripening, late-harvested Aglianico grape combine to create wines of increasingly complex and intriguing flavors and textures. If Taurasi is Southern Italy’s most lauded red wine appellation, then Aglianico del Vulture is its most promising frontier … and has been for some time. The Grifalco estate was founded in the 2000s when the winemaking Piccin family willingly moved away from a legacy Tuscan DOCG (Montepulciano) to seek a new kind of opportunity. Even then, they saw potential here, and it is coming to fruition rather quickly.
But secondly, despite that southern location and the hot summers, “Damaschito” only achieved 13.5% alcohol by volume. With its thick skins and high tannins, Aglianico certainly has the potential to yield a wine of extreme potency if the producer so chooses. But in the presence of the volcano Monte Vulture, with its late ripening and preference for places where the autumns are warm, the grape can also foster incredible complexity. Threading this needle is something that brothers Lorenzo and Andrea Piccin do perfectly with this wine, and because of that balance — freshness and power, fruit and earth, a firm grip yet with the slipperiness of minerality at play — this wine feels like a new standard for excellence in the age of creeping alcohol and astringency.
The brothers’ parents have an unusual story for Italian wine: they willingly moved away from a Tuscan DOCG (Montepulciano) in the 2000s to set out for more opportunity in the south — specifically in Basilicata’s Aglianico del Vulture. This volcanic terroir near the ancient city of Matera often yields a slightly fruitier, but no less serious, Aglianico. However, the 2019 “Damaschito” shows the remarkable complexity, intrigue and balance that can be attained here. No wonder they moved south for this.
“Damaschito” is a single-vineyard expression that has spent 18 months in Slavonian oak and a full year in bottle before release. The 2021 is the newest release, so my taste below was a glimpse of this wine with a tiny bit of additional aging. Only 8,000 bottles are produced per vintage.
2019 Grifalco “Damaschito” Aglianico del Vulture Superiore
Aglianico del Vulture Superiore DOCG (Basilicata )
Grapes: Aglianico (100%)
Alcohol: 13.5%
Opinion: ★★★★★
Food-friendliness: Versatile
Value: Very Good
A beginner might like … the smoky aromatics. With each sip, they build and swirl and evolve in the most beautiful ways.
A wine obsessive might like … comparing this Aglianico to the next one by Luigi Tecce. “DaMaschito” is a limousine, “Poliphemo” is a monster truck. Yet both carry the savory, musky quality that is a hallmark of high-quality Aglianico.
Note: This wine was provided as a sample by Grifalco’s importer, Oliver McCrum. Learn more about our editorial policy, and support our American importers.
