Why it matters
The producer
Basilisco makes certified organic Aglianico del Vulture from the volcanic slopes above Barile, a hilltop town in the Vulture subzone of northern Basilicata. The winery occupies a 16th-century noble palace on Via delle Cantine, and the wine ages in eight natural caves carved beneath it, where the temperature stays between 16 and 18 degrees Celsius without mechanical intervention.
Feudi di San Gregorio, the large Campanian producer, acquired Basilisco in 2011 and rebuilt it from the ground up: organic conversion, a new cellar team, and a single-minded focus on Aglianico del Vulture DOC. Viviana Malafarina runs the winery day to day; Pierpaolo Sirch manages all 20 hectares of vineyard. The estate plants nothing but Aglianico. Every hectare carries organic certification, and every parcel is hand-harvested.
Place and vineyards
Where the wines begin
Vulture is an extinct volcano in northern Basilicata, and the appellation Aglianico del Vulture DOC takes its name directly from it. The volcanic activity that shaped the landscape left a soil profile of tuff, flysch and fragmented lava across the hillsides, and that geology distinguishes these vineyards from other southern Aglianico zones, most notably Taurasi in neighbouring Campania.
Basilisco's parcels sit between 450 and 600 metres above sea level, southeast-facing, with significant diurnal temperature swings between warm days and cool nights. That range sharpens acidity and slows ripening, allowing Aglianico, one of Italy's naturally late-ripening grapes, to build fruit concentration gradually rather than cooking in summer heat. The higher elevation blocks also retain freshness long into the growing season, which shows in the acid line that runs through both wines in the range.
In the cellar
Vineyards and cellar
All 20 hectares are farmed organically and harvested by hand. The southeast aspect gives the parcels direct morning sun and shades them from the most intense afternoon heat, a combination that supports even ripening at this elevation. Hand harvesting allows selection in the vineyard, keeping only fruit at full maturity.
The eight caves below the palace face north, which holds them at 16 to 18 degrees Celsius year-round. That stable cold is not incidental: Aglianico needs slow, even ageing to soften its naturally firm tannins and allow its dark fruit and iron-edged mineral character to integrate. Cave ageing without temperature swings delivers that integration without the artificiality of refrigerated stainless steel. The volcanic soil composition and the cool cave environment work in the same direction: one controls what the grape brings in, the other controls what time does with it.
Wines to know
The range in view
The range has two wines, both Aglianico del Vulture DOC, and neither involves any grape other than Aglianico.
Teodosio is the entry-level expression: ruby red with violet-purple tints, showing soft plum, morello cherry and crushed rose on the nose, with a vibrant, fruit-forward character in the mouth. The acidity is pronounced but not aggressive, and it balances the concentrated dark fruit and back-palate warmth that Aglianico regularly delivers at this elevation. The 2020 vintage adds violets and poached plum to the aromatic register alongside the fresher cherry and rose notes. The producer describes the wine as perfumed, savoury and succulent.