The Aglianico from the Monte Vulture in Basilicata is surely on anybody’s list of best sources of red wine values in the world. Here, you get incredible depth and character from high-altitude volcanic soils — and a quality level that equals what you would get from Piedmont or Tuscany at twice the price.

Vulture is not Italy’s only great source of Aglianico, but it is special. Compared with Campania’s other famous Aglicanico zones — Taurasi (bigger, longer-haul, more muscular) and Taburno (often lighter, high-acid, savory) — Vulture tends to bring a little more zip and lift without losing the grape’s backbone. It’s that combination of energy and structure that makes the mountain so compelling, perhaps especially for weeknight drinking.

Cantine del Notaio “L’Atto” 2022 hits exactly that sweet spot. It’s the estate’s early-drinking expression of Vulture Aglianico, made to be poured and enjoyed now, so you get the volcanic depth and savory drive without the long, brooding adolescence. It’s weeknight-friendly for sure, but so over-performs its price point that it would fit right into a fancier weekend meal.

If you’re a regular newsletter reader and all this talk of Vulture sounds familiar, it’s probably because you’ve read one of our articles on Elena Fucci, a friend of Flatiron Wines and a star of the region. At Notaio, they are friends with Elena and love what she is doing. Notaio, like Fucci, is one of just a small handful of Vulture producers working biodynamically in the vines and with utmost care and precision in the cellar.

But Notaio told us that there was an important difference between the estates: while Fucci loves to produce wines that focus on a single vineyard and terroir (as in her signature Titolo wine), Notaio has small holdings up and down the Monte Vulture. Like a Barolo traditionalist, they blend the grapes to produce a snapshot of this magnificent terroir. And it is, indeed, awfully magnificent for the asking price:

Cantine del Notaio, Aglianico del Vulture L'Atto, 2022 $25.99