2015 San Martino Aglianico del Vulture- Kamai

People think of Aglianico and wines as big, thick, and alcoholic, but Lorenzo Piccin shows us otherwise. Kamai has fine tannin, no doubt also because of its age, bright acid, and lifted floral notes.

San Martino's vineyards are between 500 and 600 meters above sea level and the constant dry winds that come from the Tyrrhenian Sea help to dry any moisture in the air, making it easier to farm organically. San Martino has been certified organic since its inception in 2008, and Lorenzo feels is not too challenging: he only treats three or four times a year in a four month period from April to July. 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

"Kamai" means "of the earth" in the local, strongly Albanian-influenced dialect. It is a tiny riserva from the estate's oldest vines 600m asl, 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. The fruit is harvested by hand into small bins and carefully sorted and destemmed. The different parcels are vinified separately. 

Fermentation occurs spontaneously with indigenous yeasts and a tiny amount of sulfur in steel tanks. Mixed use wood, from small tonneaux to 5hl Slavonian barrels.