Press

• Score: 92 Vintage 2019 Vinous The 2019 Aglianico del Vulture Superiore is coy at first, requiring coaxing to unlock depths of crushed blackberry, tobacco, minty herbs and camphor. This is radiant and racy in style: brisk acidity elevates polished red and black fruits as hints of sour citrus and salty mineral tones add complexity toward the close. The 2019 tapers off classically structured and long, leaving a mentholated freshness and a pleasantly bitter tinge to linger. Shelf Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 92 Vintage 2019 Wine Spectator A minerally red, with a core of tarry smoke, leather and iron enmeshed with flavors of damson plum, black cherry, milled black pepper, vanilla and black tea. Firmed by grippy tannins, this is dense and structured yet well-balanced and fresh overall, with good tension and focus through the fragrant finish. Decant or cellar this for the short term. Best after 2027. Shelf Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 92 Vintage 2019 Vinous Media The 2019 Aglianico del Vulture Superiore Basilisco is impossible to ignore, with a rich blend of plum and cherry sauces complicated by hints of underbrush, grilled herbs and ashen stones. This displays silky textures and masses of ripe wild berry fruits, all lifted by cooling acidity. Notes of tangerine add contrast toward the close. Graphite minerality coats the palate along with edgy tannins, yet everything remains in perfect balance. A tinge of mocha resonates on the long finish. The 2019 shows the dark and radiant nature of the vintage in spades. Shelf Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 93 Vintage 2017 Vinous Media The 2017 Aglianico del Vulture Basilisco entices with a savory bouquet of wilted violets, sage, sweet smoke, ash and hints of blood orange. This floods the palate with silky textures, cool-toned and refined, with ripe red and black fruits that swirl throughout. Sour citrus tones provide contrast as the 2017 finishes with admirable length. Lightly structured on the close, it leaves a lasting impression. Round tannins and a resonance of steeped plums and licorice linger, complemented by an air of confectionary spice. Superb. Shelf Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 94 Vintage 2016 Vinous Media Dark, animalistic, almost feral, the 2016 Aglianico del Vulture Basilisco bursts from the glass with masses of crushed ashen stone and savory herbs before giving way to tomato leaves and red plums. This is silky and refined, with a polished wave of ripe red and black fruits contrasted by a core of saline minerals and sour citrus tones that form toward the close. This finishes structured and long with a sweet and sour twang as licorice and balsam herb nuances slowly fade. The 2016 has a very bright future ahead of it, but patience will be required. Shelf Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 92 Vintage 2016 Wine Spectator Hints of game, black tea leaf and leather offer a savory counterpoint to the flavors of blackberry preserves, crème de cassis and plum skin on display. Though aging gracefully, this fluid red is still fresh and focused, integrating grippy tannins to create the firm but fine-grained finish. Drink now through 2031. 2,000 cases made, 200 cases imported. Shelf Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 92 Vintage 2016 Wine Advocate A certified organic wine, the Basilisco 2016 Aglianico del Vulture Superiore Basilisco has been ironed out with bottle age and delivers softer, almost silky results. The Aglianico grape requests extra patience to reach this state of accessibility and softness. The bouquet has little fruit left but does instead offer dried rose, rusty nail, spice and volcanic ash. You get plenty of power and richness with a more elegant overall personality in this 10,000-bottle release. Shelf Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 90 Vintage 2016 James Suckling Plum and sour cherry aromas, together with almost ferrous minerals tinged with spice. Medium- to full-bodied with tasty plummy flavors, lightly firm tannins and a clean if rather short finish. Easygoing aglianico. From organically grown grapes. Drink now. Shelf Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 90 Vintage 2015 James Suckling Leathery, plummy fruit character on the nose. Medium-bodied with fine but quite mouth-puckering tannins that send the palate down a slightly dry path. But the spicy fruit is still holding on at the end. Nice flavors. Very aglianico! Drink now. Shelf Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 93 Vintage 2013 Vinous Media Notes of camphor and crushed stone give way to bright cherries, blackberries, incense and hints of green curry as the 2013 Aglianico del Vulture Superiore unfolds in the glass. This is silky-smooth and pliant upon entry, with a polished display of black fruits and mentholated herbs, but beneath it all, a mix of saline minerals and fine tannin slowly drenches the palate, creating youthful poise. While still quite structured, the 2013 remains giving and pleasurable today, yet with many more years of development in store for patient collectors. The quality of the vintage and Basilisco’s style of varietal purity truly shine through here. Shelf Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 93 Vintage 2013 James Suckling Magazine A fragrant, tangy red with aromas of currants, sour cherries, black truffle, orange zest, dried violets and wild herbs. It’s medium-to full-bodied with creamy tannins and bright acidity. Delicious, juicy finish. From organically grown grapes. Drink now. Shelf Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 91 Vintage 2013 Wine Spectator A finely-knit and harmonious red, offering and an herb-laced aromatic overtone, with notes of steeped raspberry and dried cherry, anise, tangerine peel and smoke set on a fresh, medium- to full-bodied frame. Drink now through 2028. 1,000 cases made, 25 cases imported. Shelf Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 89 Vintage 2013 Wine Enthusiast Feint aromas of blackberry and cherry meld with a hint of rubber on the nose. It's rounded and plush in feel on the palate, filled out by juicy dark-berry flavors. There's a slight grit to the tannins, but they still play well with the fruit, making this a lively, crunchy red. Shelf Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 93 Vintage 2011 Vinous Media The 2011 Aglianico del Vulture Basilisco wafts up with a rich blend of brown spice, smoked meats, dusty violet florals and dried black cherries. This is cool-toned and sleek, with juicy acidity and ripe wild berry fruits that flow across a core of saline minerality. Wildly energetic yet slowly maturing, the 2011 tapers off with a saturation of fine tannins and a pleasant tinge of bitterness. There's radiance and power here that should meld beautifully over time. Shelf Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 93 Vintage 2010 Vinous Media Dusty sage and lavender give way to crushed blackberries as the high-toned and spicy 2010 Aglianico del Vulture Basilisco slowly awakens in the glass. Round and supple, this floods the mouth with mineral-inflected red and black fruits that saturate, adding cheek-puckering tension toward the close. A veil of fine-grained tannins envelops the senses as the 2010 finishes long and staining, leaving just a hint of licorice to linger. This is a powerful, youthfully intense Aglianico that will require and reward extended cellaring. Shelf Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 94 Vintage 2005 Vinous Media Beautiful in its maturity, the 2005 Aglianico del Vulture Basilisco opens with a unique and captivating bouquet of blood orange, tomato leaf, smoked meats, cedar and dried cherries. This is pure seduction on the palate, cooling and supple with silken textures. Ripe wild berry fruits flow across a stream of fresh acidity. While still gently tannic and full of tension, the 2005 is generous and almost juicy through the finale. Violet inner florals and hints of lavender resonate. Shelf Talker Full Page Review