Elena Fucci
Elena Fucci Aglianico del Vulture Titolo
DOC Aglianico del Vulture
100% Aglianico
14
Organic
Tasting Notes
Intense ruby color with strong garnet reflections. Ample and complex perfume, with beautiful fruit, minerality, and spicy hints. The aroma provokes a strong sensation of cherry, currant, rosemary, tobacco, and cinnamon. On the palate, it offers warm flavor, broad structure, and a persistent, aromatic finish.
Cultivation
Elena’s harvest is typically one of the latest in Italy. Depending on the weather, it may begin at the end of October or beginning of November. The 2021 harvest in particular began on October 21, and sadly, it was the last with Elena’s grandfather Generoso who passed away in December at almost 96.
Vinification
The whole grapes are put into steel tanks for the alcoholic fermentation (maceration lasts the same amount of time as fermentation). Afterward, the must is ‘drawn off’ and the dregs are soft pressed. Malolactic fermentation occurs in barriques of 200 l. (50% new) for a total of 12 months. Naturally clarified by decantation.
Aging
12 months in barrique of 200 Lt, followed by another 12 months in the bottle.
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The Fucci family has lived on their estate in Basilicata since 1960, when Elena’s grandfather bought six hectares of vineyards at the highest part Contrada Solagna of Titolo, at the foot of Mount Vulture (an extinct volcano). Her grandfather and father tended the vines and sold the harvest as bulk grapes, only vinifying a small portion for personal consumption.
It wasn’t until the 2000 vintage that the full potential of the domain’s 70-year-old Aglianico vines was properly explored. The family was going through the process of selling the estate when Elena made the last-minute decision to take on the property herself, with the intention of developing the vineyard and devoting herself to the land that she grew up loving so dearly. 2000 was the first proper vintage at Elena Fucci, harvested and vinified while Elena was still completing her studies in Viticulture and Enology.
She knew from the beginning that they wanted to devote themselves to producing a singular wine, reflective of their unique terroir. Simply walking through the vineyard rows at Elena Fucci is a fascinating history lesson; the terrain is volcanic, the soil is mineral, dark in color, and pozzolanic, which clearly catalogues in its layers the history and life of the Vulture volcano, visible just a few hundred meters away. The eruptive phases composed of lava flows, lapilli and ash, interspersed with periods of stasis, composed of layers of clay, are all visible in the land, which translates to a fascinating wine in the glass.
* Wine & Spirits Top 100 Wineries of 2022