IGNI, Aglianico del Vulture

In my wine-world travels, I regularly encounter articles I wish I’d written and wine I wish I’d made. Today’s wine, created by my friends and colleagues Shelley Lindgren and Jeffrey Porter, is an example of the latter. Which is to say: If I were to create an Italian wine label and make an Aglianico from Monte Vulture in Basilicata, this is exactly the kind of Aglianico del Vulture I would make.Aglianico is one of Italy’s noblest red wine grapes, and Monte Vulture, an extinct volcano tucked away in a remote, mountainous corner of the Italian south, is where many feel it reaches its greatest heights of expression. Shelley and Jeff, widely known as two of the most prominent Italian-focused sommeliers in the US, created IGNI—referencing ‘igneous,’ or volcanic, rock—to showcase authentic, conscientiously farmed wines from Italy’s greatest volcanic terroirs. They are using the négociant model, partnering with growers they feel epitomize their respective regions; for Basilicata and Aglianico