Gricos

A warm nose offers cranberries, dried cherries, hibiscus, fennel and sun-soaked stones. Those elements all continue onto the palate, where they're bolstered by undertones of orange zest and licorice. A wine to come back to again and again and again—a steal at this price.

After over 20 years of making wine in Tuscany, Fabrizio and Cecilia Piccin went in search of a new winery and settled in Basilicata, home of the Vulture volcano and the most distinct Aglianico in Italy. They established Grifalco winery in 2004, and today their sons Lorenzo and Andrea are at the helm now, overseeing their 16 hectares of organic hillside vineyards, between 450-580m. Grifalco is the flagship of the estate, sourcing grapes from all four estate vineyards. It is from vines 10 to 30 years old, and was fermented in stainless before aging in seasoned French and American oak for 6 to 12 months. This slight red rings with volcanic soils, imbuing a buzzy electricity to the wild plum, crunchy cherry, iron-dusted tannins. Acidity is rhubarb tart, and fruit has a slight fade on the finish, encouraging cracking and drinking now.