In 2004, the Piccin family, originally wine producers in Tuscany, founded Grifalco winery in Italy’s southern Basilicata region, producing exclusively Aglianico del Vulture. Grifalco is primarily run by two Piccin brothers. One of the brothers, Lorenzo, always had the goal of making his own wine, and after studying oenology and viticulture, he felt compelled to create his own estate. He’d already been helping out at Grifalco and felt the Vulture region was a fascinating area, so he decided to rent six hectares and start his own estate, Az. Agr. San Martino.
Aglianico del Vulture is unique region in every respect: the exclusive use of the Aglianico grape, high elevation, diverse geology, old vines, a continental climate despite being in the South of Italy… the list goes on. The region is actually quite cool and dry; harvests usually start in mid-October, probably the latest in all of Italy. This is due to San Martino’s vineyards being between 500 and 600 meters above sea level and the constant dry winds coming from the Tyrrhenian Sea. In such, working organically is very easy as the steady, cold winds keep illness at a minimum. San Martino has been certified organic since its inception in 2008. The soils are a diverse, ever alternating mix of lava, ash, sand and river stones. Most of the vines are between 20 and 40 years old, with 1.5 hectares over 80.
In the cellar, the wines are made in a gentle, infusion style to avoid extraction. Everything is very instinctive, with pump-overs, minimal additions of S02 and a single racking being the only interventions. Micro-parcels of all ages are vinified separately; after a year of elevage, Lorenzo decides which to blend to produce the estate’s three wines. SIIR tends to come from the youngest vines and is meant as an introduction to Aglianico del Vulture. Arberekso is more of a classic expression, with intentionally longer elevage in tonneau and bottle and usually the comes from older vines. Kamai is a tiny riserva from the estate’s oldest vines and sees the longest aging in barrel. All three capture the unique set of circumstances that make Vulture one of Italy’s most outlying, interesting appellations.
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Siir Aglianico del Vulture
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Kamai Aglianico del Vulture