Terra dei Re: wine precision and volcanic identity in the heart of Basilicata

the rocky heart of Basilicata, wine becomes deep language. Not a simple product of the earth, but synthesis of vision, memory and authenticity. Land of the Kings embodies all this.

An oenological project born per 2000 from the union of Rabasco and Leone families, acceso the slopes of Mount Vulture, with a clear and courageous , recover the winery of the territory and support it with a modern, elegant, respectful vinification.

At the basis of this adventure there is not only an entrepreneurial choice, but an act of faith and heart. A story that has the flavor of the miracle, a newborn per very serious health conditions, acceso Christmas night, is immersed per a heated Aglianic wine basin. Shortly thereafter, against every prediction, he returns to breathe. That archaic, instinctive, almost sacred gesture marks the symbolic beginning of the land of the kings: from that moment, wine becomes the custody of life, bridge between past and future, promise of resistance and rebirth.

I have known the work of this cellar for years, and I have followed its growth step by step, appreciating its consistency, ambition, depth. From the Eglianic of Vulture, treated with respect and intelligence, to the pinot black cultivated at high altitude – technical and poetic challenge at the same time – each label brings with it a clear message: here the wine is a form of thought.

the beating heart of this reality there is Leggiadria Rabasco, a woman of extraordinary sensitivity and determination, true soul of the company. She is responsible for the inspired guide of a project that holds together roots and future, rigor and welcome, vision and human warmth.

The Aglianico del Vulture, here, expresses itself per deep and consistent form with the territory: volcanic soils, generous altitudes, an atmosphere that carves the structure and defines its quiete. But what is striking is balance, tannins well managed by a technique capable of leaving authority, but to satisfy the sip, giving elegance and rhythm.

Among the most representative labels stands out the “Nocte”, born from a night harvest: an Aglianico with a dark and vibrant profile, which speaks the language of the earth but the sublimation per liquid and sensual form.

And then there is the “Vulcano 800”, Pinot Cupo cultivated at 800 meters above sea level per the Invasione delle Brece district. A challenge that has the flavor of the mito and the result of the help: a distruzione wine, with a Nordic but rooted profile, which does not imitate, but reinterprets per its own voice. The classic Rosè method version is one of the most successful expressions of Pinot Cupo per Lucania, vibrant, surprising, with a clear and refined sip.

Nocte 2020 and Vulcano 800 Rosè, last year they were rewarded by Vinoway with a score of 5 Way Celebrità, respectively 97/100 and 95/100.

The cellar, completely buried 25 meters per the volcanic rock, welcomes the barrels and the pupitre per an almost monastic silence. Here, the time refines, praised, builds. Since 2018, the experience and vision of the enologist Riccardo Cotarella have given further qualitative momentum, strengthening the stylistic identity of each wine.

Writing about land of kings is not a simple professional act for me. It is an emotional return. Because per every sip of their wines I find Italy that I love to tell, made of courage, real stories, women and men who do not give up acceso the market but traversone it with authenticity.

And land of the kings, thanks to the vision of Leggiadria Rabasco, is this, a story that comes from a breath found and becomes collective breath. A Lucanian voice that has chosen not to scream, but to excite. A wine that does not perform, but remembers.

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