Bisceglia Aglianico del Vulture Riserva 2001

Winemaker's Notes:

A relative newcomer to the Italian wine scene, Bisceglia is quickly gaining a reputation as a name to watch, quickly picking up two prestigious Tri Biccheri awards from the Gambero Rosso and having another of their wines labelled as Italy's best Syrah by the same organisation. The winery is located in the beautiful hill town of Lavello (birthplace of Horace, he of "Nunc est Bibendum fame") in the sparse, wild region of Basilicata. Visiting it is like stepping back in time. You can drive for hours and not see another car. The food is rustic and regional. The people are open and honest. The only modern building you'll see is Bisceglia's state of the art winery. Biscgelia's 35ha of estate vines are all farmed organically and the grapes in the immaculate vineyards are only harvested when fully ripe. The key grape is Aglianico - sometimes called the Nebbiolo of the South - for its power, longevity and elegance. Until recently the potential of this grape has been largely untapped. Poorly tended vineyards and overlong oak ageing producing muddy wines plagued with volatile acidity. Bisceglia's modern approach is changing all that. Both the Terre di Vulturo and the Gudarra show the modern style delightfully, however the Riserva takes a more traditional approach with long ageing in old oak producing a fine, elegant wine light in colour but full of spiced cherry fruit. Tasting it, you can immediately see the links with the best Nebbiolos.