2017 Paternoster - Aglianico del Vulture DOC Don Anselmo (750ml)

Paternoster is a family run winery based in Barile, in Italy's Basilicata region, with a history stretching back to 1925 when founder Anselmo Paternoster began transforming his father's small home operation into a proper commercial estate. The winery now farms roughly twenty hectares of black, volcanic soil across several districts around the extinct Mount Vulture, with the Tommasi family later joining as a majority stakeholder to help expand the estate's reach while preserving its organic, sustainable focus. Don Anselmo, named for the founder, stands as the winery's flagship wine and a tribute to the family's roots in the region.

This wine comes entirely from Aglianico grapes grown in small, old vineyard parcels around Barile, roughly 600 meters above sea level, where naturally low yields concentrate the fruit. The volcanic soil, rich in ash and lava rock, gives the grapes distinctive depth, and the grapes are typically harvested by hand at the end of October. Following fermentation and skin maceration, the wine ages in a combination of large Slavonian oak casks and French barriques, split evenly between the two, before resting an additional twelve months in bottle prior to release.

The wine pours a deep, nearly opaque ruby red, opening onto a wide, complex bouquet of red berries, leather, balsamic herbs, and warm spice. On the palate it turns dry and structured, with firm tannins and remarkable persistence that carries through a long finish. Its power and structure make it a natural match for roasted red meats, lamb with herbs, or aged sheep's milk cheeses.