The passion for winemaking is not new to the Giuratrabocchetti family and has been handed down for generations.
And in 1998 the Cantine del Notaio wine estate was born from this same tradition, when both Gerardo Giuratrabocchetti, with his degree in Agricultural Science, and his wife Marcella, took up the Aglianico del Vulture challenge.
They decided to combine tradition, innovation, history and terroir in the vines growing in their vineyards.
Together with Luigi Moio, Full Professor of Enology at the University of Naples, valuable collaboration and extensive research began on the winemaking potential of this grape, the most important in Southern Italy. A proud but difficult vine, capable of yielding wines with extraordinary personality.
The Aglianico grape has been well known since ancient Greek times.
Celebrated by the Latin poet Horace, it is grown on the slopes of Mount Vulture. And this is the origin of the three natural factors determining the constitution and ripening of these grapes.
Firstly, the volcanic soil is fertile and rich in particular mineral elements.
Then the tufo rock layers, deep down, act as water reservoirs during the drier periods of the year: what the local peasants call "milking the tufo".
Thirdly there is the unique micro-climate.
The bunches of fruit are carefully selected and knowledgeably handled; they will yield a strong wine with a notable personality, precious ruby red color and complex aromas.
For this reason, our Winery has paid especial attention to its choice of vineyards.
Our 26 hectares, (approx. 62 acres) are distributed amongst the most characteristic and renowned hillsides in the Mount Vulture area, (the villages of Rionero, Barile, Ripacandida, Maschito e Ginestra), and possess vines more than a hundred years old.
These areas have different soils, (sand, volcanic residue, medium consistency or clay ) but the same layer of volcanic tufo in common, and a pedoclimatic exposition which allows for perfect ripening of the grapes, amongst the very latest to be harvested (mid-October to mid-November).
Our growing techniques are inspired by biological and biodynamic criteria, aimed at strengthening accumulation of both water and organic substance. And biodynamics have led Gerardo Giuratrabocchetti to take a scientific approach aimed at respecting plant life, its surrounding environment and the natural intrinsic "vitality" of the soil.
This marked vocation for research, emphasis on tradition and experiment has also led to an extremely interesting project: the discovery and cultivation of 40 other grape varieties historically grown here in the terroir. This work in reviving older local germplasm from the Basilicata region has been carried out in collaboration with the Lucanian Agency for Agricultural Development, (A.L.S.I.A.), as well as research and university institutes.