Il Passo Alberi in Piano Aglianico del Vulture 2013

Aglianico del Vulture, Basilicata, Italy

Decanter 2017 World Wine Awards Platinum, 95 points!

Il Passo Alberi in Piano Aglianico del Vulture is a rich red wine from Basilicata, in the south of Italy, bordering Puglia, Campania, and Calabria. In 2012, Maria Grimolizzi and her husband Raffaele purchased a 30-year old vineyard in Barile in the southern Italian region of Basilicata. The wine production of Cantina Il Passo averages 5,000 bottles per year with only one label—Alberi in Piano. The vineyards are at 500 meters asl in volcanic soil with calcareous elements in 4 hectares of land dedicated to viticulture. From the first vintage (2013) of the Aglianico del Vulture DOC, Cantina Il Passo has received the most prestigious Platinum award of Decanter World Wine Awards of 95 points. Their oenologist, Fabio Mecca, was recently awarded "Oenologist of the Year 2021" by Food and Travel Italia.

Alberi in Piano Aglianico del Vulture is intense ruby red in color, turning to garnet as it ages. With full body, good acidity, and silky tannins, the wine shows a rich bouquet of mature dark fruits of blackberries and plums, notes of dried spices and dried flowers and a distinctive thin layer of smokiness. At the end of fermentation, the wine is transferred into large Slavonian oak barrels where it stays for about 2 months. It is then moved to tonneaux for 18 months of aging. The wine offers velvety tannins and a long, pleasing finish.

Il Passo Alberi in Piano Aglianico del Vulture will drink well now and over the next 6-8 years. Ideal with grilled steaks and red meats, rich pasta dishes, moussaka, and aged cheeses.