Musto Carmelitano are a new name making fine bottled Aglianico del Vulture wines. ‘Bottled’ because up until 2007 the Musto Carmelitano family were selling their fruit to the local cooperative. Enter the next generation, Francesco’s children Elisabetta & Luigi, and the first consideration was to go organic.

But as Elisabetta explained, with that change came a reduction in crop quantity; not enough for the coop so they had to bottle it instead! Thank goodness they did! For the family own 4ha of Aglianico vineyards around the village of Rionero, near Maschito, 600 metres up the volcano ‘Vulture’ that shapes their nervy, brooding wines with its clay, lava & sandy soils. They are also fortunate in that a significant proportion of their vines are old, free-standing alberello, spaced 1.20 metres apart.

Since the first label came out in 2007, the family have focused on producing three Aglianico del Vulture wines:

Maschitano Rosso IGT, a fresh, early drinking Aglianico del Vulture denied its D.O.C on account of its early release; Aglianico del Vulture ‘Serra del Prete’, a pacy wine from fruit grown on predominantly calcareous clay soils and aged only in stainless-steel and Aglianico del Vulture ‘Pian del Moro’, a single vineyard wine from lava brown soils giving a chocolaty rich wine that’s seen some French oak.