Alois

VINTAGE 2024

Wine Enthusiast – 90
The nose billows with warm, playful aromas of lemon, honey, hay, straw, toasted oats and barley, while the palate contrasts with an initial blast of salt, before more toasty grain notes, apples and pears re-emerge underneath to create a balanced, cohesive wine.

VINTAGE 2023

James Suckling – 90
A bright, medium- to full-bodied white that has notes of papaya, persimmon and minerals. Clean and pristine. Drink now.

VINTAGE 2021

Vinous – 91
The 2021 Aglianico Campole is dark and earthy in glass with a bouquet of flowery underbrush, ash and woodland berries. While juicy and round, it finds a lovely balance through a core of tart wild berry fruits and perfumed inner florals. This leaves the palate stained in primary concentration while a web of fine tannins frames the experience quite well. It’s amazing to think that this is the entry-level rosso from Alois. Well done.

VINTAGE 2019

Vinous – 90
The 2019 Aglianico Campole is spicy from the first tilt of the glass as a burst of crushed ashen stone combines with ground ginger, savory herbs and black currants. It’s silky-smooth and round on the palate with a brisk acidity that motivates its ripe blackberry and balsamic spice notes. The 2019 finishes unexpectedly fresh and focused, only gently tannic. Red plum traces slowly fade.

Wine Advocate – 90
The Alois 2019 Campole is a pure expression of Aglianico with a very enriched and relatively soft character considering the celebrated tannins and structure of this powerful variety. The wine opens to a darkly concentrated appearance and sweet tones of baked cherry, candied almond and even a hint of orange peel. There is candied violet or lilac as well. The mouthfeel is medium-rich, and there is pretty acidity on the close. Production is 20,000 bottles.

Wine Enthusiast – 90
The nose is savory, sanguine and earthy, with aromas of flint, soil, balsamic, plum skin and a hint of softening cherry blossom. The palate runs with the fruit and florality, but ferocious tannins and acid preserve the edge.

VINTAGE 2024

Wine Enthusiast – 90
Aromas of preserved lemon, yellow apple, banana and toasted almonds create a nose which is both warm and fresh. The palate is consistent, with more savory notes, sweet fruit and nuts alike, but also turns saltier and adds a mineral tang.

VINTAGE 2023

James Suckling – 90
A ripe and spicy white that has notes of white pear, papaya, jasmine and ginger. It’s medium-bodied with a fleshy texture and a tasty finish. Drink now.

Vinous – 90
The 2023 Falanghina Caulino entices with a blend of ground ginger and dusty florals, giving way to crushed pear. This washes across the palate with a gorgeous stream of ripe orchard fruits and candied citrus as tactile mineral tones firm up the experience toward the close. It tapers off with staining length, youthful tension and a salty flourish. While already enjoyable today, the Caulino is nicely balanced for the cellar.

Wine Enthusiast – 91
Floral, saline aromas of jasmine, citrus blossom, lemon and white tea leaf lead into a balanced palate of salted nuts and fresh apple slices, beneath a squeeze of citrus. A full, rich mouthfeel nonetheless has the buoyancy of acid and a warmth on the finish.

VINTAGE 2022

Wine Enthusiast – 90
The light, fresh nose offers aromas of lemon, cantaloupe, white flowers and stone, before the salty palate runs with that stoniness. A sweeter streak of lemon creates a round feel, at least until a bitter bite of almond on the finish.

VINTAGE 2022

Vinous  – 91
The 2022 Pallagrello Nero Cunto is darkly floral and dusty in character. It smolders up with a whiff of cocoa powder and dried roses before giving way to musky black currant. The palate is soothingly round, with ripe red and black fruits complicated by a hint of sour citrus and an air of sage toward the close. It finishes with staining length and gravelly mineral tones as fine-grained tannins flex upon the senses.

VINTAGE 2020

James Suckling – 90
A solid, fruity and authentic pallagrello nero with aromas of baked plums, bark and dark chocolate. It’s medium-bodied with fine, firm tannins. Grainy texture here with a focused finish. Drink now.

Vinous – 91+
The 2020 Pallagrello Nero Cunto is delicate and coy in the glass with a mix of grilled herbs, stone dust and blackberries forming its bouquet. This is a pure and zesty effort with crisp wild berry fruits and violet inner florals that flow throughout. It finishes long and tannic, drying out the palate and puckering the cheeks as hints of licorice fade. Have patience with this young Pallagrello Nero.

VINTAGE 2023

Wine Advocate  – 90
Here is another carefully made expression of this locally appreciated white grape. The Alois 2023 Pallagrello Bianco Morrone is partially fermented in oak (about one-third of the total, with the rest going into stainless steel). This mid-weight expression shows opulent tones of orchard fruit, pear and Golden Delicious apple. Fruit comes from a site measuring just over two hectares with limestone soils, which make a good match to this native grape. This is a production of 3,000 bottles and 200 magnums to be released in 2026.

Wine Enthusiast  – 90
The nose is sweet and creamy, with aromas of yogurt, yellow apple, honeysuckle and marzipan, while the palate becomes nutty and salty, even as the honey and tree fruit elements linger as undertones, and a bit of the fermented creaminess returns on the finish to give texture.

VINTAGE 2022

James Suckling – 91
Dried lemons, pears and sage on the nose of this medium-bodied white. Touch of gingerbread. It’s savory and compact with a subtle spicy edge. Drink now.

Vinous – 92
Nuances of almond paste mingle with freshly sliced pears and sweet spice as the 2022 Pallagrello Bianco Morrone opens in the glass. The palate is soft and round, showing depths of ripe apricot complemented by minty herbs and a tinge of candied citrus. Subtle mineral tones linger, joined by a pleasantly bitter sensation that keeps the mouth watering for more. This finishes with admirable length yet remains potent.

VINTAGE 2021

James Suckling – 91
A intriguing nose with hints of poached pear, grapefruit and an intense floral bouquet. The medium-bodied palate is correspondingly intense and flavorful, but everything remains light-footed with nicely balanced, fresh acidity. Easy drinking and good as an aperitif, too. Drink now.

Wine Advocate – 91
This is a special wine that is born in a little patch of limestone soil measuring just over two hectares. This indigenous white grape was especially matched to this vineyard that also boasts slightly cooler conditions at a breezy 350 meters above sea level. The Alois 2021 Pallagrello Bianco Morrone (with a newly designed label) was aged in stainless steel with a third ending up in oak. There are orchard fruit aromas and some baked pear with very delicate hints of saffron and nutmeg. Production in this vintage was limited to 3,000 bottles and 200 magnums.

VINTAGE 2020

Wine Advocate – 91
Compared to the Caiatì, which only sees stainless steel, this wine undergoes a more elaborate winemaking regime. The Alois 2020 Pallagrello Bianco Morrone is partially aged on the fine lees in oak for nine months. This gives the wine more fruit weight and textural heft, and these are two elements that work well with the Pallagrello Bianco grape—especially in expert hands such as these. The bouquet is redolent of ripe fruit, baked apple, toasted almond and a hint of exotic sandalwood. That nuttiness is followed by a fresh finish in this production of 6,000 bottles.

VINTAGE 2019

Gambero Rosso – 3 bicchieri

James Suckling – 92
Tightly packed aromas and flavors of dried peach and pineapple with some stony minerals and hints of sweet herbs, such as lemon basil. Medium-bodied with the same intensity and focus on the palate, remaining crisp and firm through the long finish. Impressive intensity and persistence here. Drink now.

VINTAGE 2018

James Suckling – 91
Aromas of chamomile, waxed lemon, dried pineapple and crushed stone. Some dried herbs, too. It’s medium-to full-bodied with tangy acidity. Phenolic and textured. Drink or hold.

Wine Advocate – 90
The Alois 2018 Pallagrello Bianco Morrone is born in a vineyard site in an area of Pontelatone called Morrone della Monica. The vines are 15 years old and planted at a moderate 300 meters in altitude on calcareous clay soils. This white wine sees a 30-day fermentation period and ages in both stainless steel (or about two-thirds of the total does) and small oak barrel for nine months. Production is 6,600 bottles. The results are mid-weight and slightly waxy in texture with plenty of ripe apricot, pear and orchard

VINTAGE 2021

Falstaff – 93

Ian d’Agata – 93

James Suckling – 91
A fine-textured and supple red with aromas of purple berries, wild herbs and warm spices. Medium-bodied with silky tannins. Linear and velvety with a flavorful finish. Drink now.

Vinous – 93+
The 2021 Pallagrello Nero Murella captivates with a bouquet of crushed violets, blood orange, blackberries and animal musk. Silken textures sweep across the palate, contrasted by depths of mineral-infused red and black fruits as grippy tannins slowly saturate toward the close. A bitter tinge of dark chocolate pinches at the cheeks as the 2021 finishes with dramatic length and is structured for the long haul. This formidable Pallagrello Nero is packed with potential, yet patience is necessary.

VINTAGE 2020

James Suckling – 91
A crisp, vivid and delicious red. On the nose aromas of sour cherries, redcurrants, sea salt and dried sage dominate. It’s light-bodied with bright acidity and powdery tannins and texture. Sharp and crunchy. Drink now

VINTAGE 2021

James Suckling – 92
A solid, focused and well-built riserva with aromas of mulberries, dark cherries, grilled meat and baking spices. Medium-bodied with fine tannins. Well-driven and playful with a delicious finish. Drink or hold.

Vinous – 92
The 2021 Casavecchia di Pontelatone Riserva Trebulanum wafts up with mentholated freshness as wild herbs mingle with stone dust and dried black cherries. The palate is soothingly round and pliant, with savory black fruits and mineral tones swirling throughout. A sour citrus tinge and bump of residual acidity pinch at the cheeks even as edgy tannins resonate through the youthfully tense finale.

Wine Advocate  – 91
The Alois 2021 Casavecchia di Pontelatone Riserva Trebulanum is made with fruit from a site with ashy “pozzolonica” soils, as they are known locally, and fermented and matured in oak. This is a light and fundamentally gastronomic wine with bright cherry tones over a punchy mouthfeel that remains free of the trapping of excessive concentration. A total of 3,000 bottles and 100 magnums were made.

Wine Enthusiast – 91
On the nose, notes of warm dirt and cracked black pepper anchor gleaming aromas of cherry cola and orange peel, and the palate coheres with sweet, ripe wild cherries and warm citrus. A lively, vibrant, bright wine.

VINTAGE 2017

Ian D’Agata – 92

James Suckling – 92
Rich, sweet plums and berries on the nose and palate. Hints of savory tufo-like minerals, too. Full-bodied with lots of juicy fruit and firm tannin. Almost drinkable now, but another year will round it off nicely. Try from 2023.

Vinous – 94

Wine Advocate – 92
The Alois 2017 Casavecchia di Pontelatone Riserva Trebulanum (with fruit from the single-vineyard particella 165) is the estate’s top-shelf wine. What this bottle teaches us is that the Casavecchia grape can endure near or medium-term aging, and its primary fruit tones, with dark fruit and plum, remain mostly intact. This wine is fermented on the skins for 15 days and ages in oak for two years to add thick layers of toast and spice. This vintage, with 6,600 bottles made, shows robust and generous results.