A fresh and focused red that's medium- to full-bodied and shows good tension, with sinewy tannins tightly meshed with aromas and flavors of macerated cherry, medicinal herb, orange peel and a long, pronounced streak of stony mineral. Best from 2024 through 2030. 1,080 cases made, 300 cases imported.??–AN??Region: Italy / South / Basilicata / Aglianico del Vulture Superiore Select to Add

This wine has now adopted the new Superiore denomination. The 2014 Aglianico del Vulture Superiore La Firma is a beautifully saturated and rich wine with thick concentration, power and lasting momentum. The bouquet shows black fruit, dried blackberry, spice, mesquite, mahogany and campfire ash. The wine is muscular, bold and stacked tall with distinctive volcanic tones. Ironically, this cool-vintage expression from 2014 shows a lot more ripeness, richness and concentration than the vintage before it. Some 13,000 bottles were made.

This wine has always played with the concept of fruit ripeness, often pushing the boundaries of a late-ripening variety such as Aglianico in an area with cool soils and unpredictable weather patterns during harvest (in the first week of November). Everything must align perfectly for this grape to reach optimal sweetness. The 2013 Aglianico del Vulture la Firma almost delivers the goods. The bouquet reflects the precision and the savory flavors of the house style. Yet, the mouthfeel shows distinct bitterness and a note of sourness. Ripeness could be an issue.

This is one of the most interesting wines to be released from Cantine del Notaio. The 2012 Aglianico del Vulture la Firma presents the fullness and the generosity of the hot vintage next to the stylistic elegance that characterizes the house wines. The bouquet is rounded and complete with dark fruit that is enhanced by oak spice, volcanic mineral and black licorice or tar. A common theme of this vintage is a thinner mouthfeel and you do experience that here.

It's hard not to fall in love with the 2011 Aglianico del Vulture La Firma. This is a delicious expression from one of the lesser-known of Italy's great wine territories, the Vulture volcano in Basilicata, Southern Italy. The bouquet is seamless and beautifully elegant with dark fruit, ash, smoke, licorice and grilled herb. The 2011 vintage is absolutely spectacular in terms of aromas. They are immediate, upfront and intense. But Aglianico's nervous spirit comes through in the mouth where the wine shows tight tannins and a high level of astringency. This is one of the nicest Vulture wines I tasted this year but I'd suggest another five years to allow those tannins to soften.