Paternoster Aglianico del Vulture Don Anselmo 2016
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Winemaker Notes
Don Anselmo is a landmark wine made from 100% Aglianico grapes, the native varietal in Basilicata for which the region is renowned. It is dedicated to the winery’s founder, Anselmo Paternoster, and represents the history, roots, and continued importance of the Paternoster family in the area of production of the wines, Vulture.
Bright, deep ruby red. On the nose it displays a broad, complex bouquet, with notes of red fruits, leather, balsamic herbs and dark spices. On the palate it is dry and potent, with great structure and elegance and an extremely long finish.
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
The 2016 Aglianico del Vulture Don Anselmo opens slowly at this young stage, yet it’s quite intense all the same. Fans of pungently ripe cheeses and earthy funk will find a lot to like about the initial burst that wafts up from the glass. However, swirling brings forward a captivating display that mixes incense and rose with exotic curries and currants. The velvety textures soothe the palate with a polished display of dark fruits, as bright acidity and minerals add a tactile grip toward the close. Through it all, there’s a coating of gruff tannins that slowly take hold, clenching the palate with youthful grip, while leaving bitter herbal and cedar tones and hints of tobacco resonating through the finale. It will take years for the 2016 to soften and come fully into focus, but it will be worth waiting for.
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Wine Enthusiast
Enveloping aromas of cherry coulis, pomegranate molasses, anise seed and blood orange carry over to the rich yet deftly balanced palate. There's intense energy to the coiled red-berry flavors, with a mineral zip propelling it along while polished tannins firmly wrap it all up. Drink now–2030.
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Wine Spectator
A rich, savory red in a fresh, full-bodied frame, featuring pretty notes of ripe cherry, black raspberry and licorice, layered with finely meshed threads of tarry smoke, saline and cured tobacco. Dense, fine-grained tannins provide definition, but remain well-swathed by the detailed flavor range. Best from 2022 through 2032.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
This historic wine is something of a benchmark for Southern Italy, and it certainly is for the Vulture wine region of Basilicata. The 2016 Aglianico del Vulture Don Anselmo shows good balance and a dark bouquet with ensuing aromas of blackberry, black currant, spice, smoke and tar. It displays the power, determination and elegance of volcanic winemaking. The finish is restrained and compact.
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James Suckling
This is a very ripe, rich aglianico with dried spices, tea leaves and herbs, but there’s a fresher edge of orange rind and the dried-meat notes are complex and beguiling. Despite the prevailing dried-fruit character, the palate cuts a rather sleek shape through linear acidity and edgy, vertical tannins.
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Wine & Spirits
Notes of dark chocolate, licorice and pipe tobacco weave through this wine’s dried-plum flavors. The tannins are firm and chewy, and the wine takes on gamey notes toward the finish.
Other Vintages
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Making its home in the mountainous southern Italy, Aglianico is a bold red variety that is late to ripen and often spends until November on the vine. It thrives in Campania as the exclusive variety in the age-worthy red wine called Taurasi. Aglianico also has great success in the volcanic soils of Basilicata where it makes the robust, Aglianico del Vulture. Somm Secret—The name “Aglianico” bears striking resemblance to Ellenico, the Italian word for "Greek," but no evidence shows it has Greek ancestry. However, it first appeared in Italy around an ancient Greek colony located in present-day Avellino, Campania.
Inhabiting the arch of Italy’s boot, this southern, mountainous region has a relatively small amount of vineyard area under vine. Basilicata has one DOCG for its prized red grape, Aglianico, Aglianico del Vulture Superior, which is limited to the slopes of an extinct volcano. The best whites are made of Malvasia bianca.