2018 Madonna delle Grazie "Liscone" Aglianico del Vulture

Cantine Madonna delle Grazie is a small family owned winery in the Vulture region of Basilicata that makes some of my favorite wines in the south of Italy.  They work 8.5 hectares of Aglianico planted in volcanic soil on the slope of Mount Vulture. The Latoracca Family has deep roots here, farming the property since the early 1900's, now with organic practices, but they have only been estate bottling wine since 2003.  Aglianico is a grape capable of making stupendous wine but it can be unwieldy and fiercely tannic. The watch word in the production of Aglianico is "Tannin Management" and frankly there are few producers better at tannin management than Cantine Madonna delle Grazie. One of the most useful tools they employ is a simple one: patience. They often hold their wines for the better part of a decade to let the structure soften and allow the wine to slowly open up over the years.

The Liscone cuvee is drawn from the eponymous vineyard on the property, the source of all of the winery's top wines.  Generally this wine is drawn from 30 year-old vines and is aged for 8-12 months in mostly neutral French oak tonneaux. despite this being only the second tier offering from Cantine Madonna delle Grazie it is a sensational wine. Dark fruit, medium bodied with fresh lifted acidity this is a lot (and I mean A LOT) of wine for the money.  Soft enough to drink on its own if you prefer richer reds it also pairs beautifully with richer foods, especially lamb. - Andy Paynter