2018 Donna Paolina Fiano di Avellino DOCG

Region: Fiano di Avellino DOCG < Campania < Italy

Grape: Fiano

Vineyard/Cellar Stats: Organic farming; 20 year-old single parcel of clay/limestone/fossilized shells; ferments in stainless steel then aged 3-4 months in bottle; light filtration and low SO2; 13% ABV

Winemaker: Massimo Alois

My friend, the consummate gentleman and host Massimo Alois, makes this incredible Fiano from purchased grapes from his friend's vineyard on volcanic soils in Avellino, the heart of the Fiano di Avellino DOCG.  He makes the wine at his estate in the countryside of Caserta (30 min north of Naples), a beautiful place where no tourist ever roams, but they should, as this is mozzarella country.  And silk country (Caserta used to be the center of Europe’s silk trade, a place where riches and royals mingled - the city has one of the largest and most opulent palaces in all of Europe, a UNESCO site and once home to the Bourbon dynasty).  But we digress.  This whole area is also a volcanic terroir that produces some pretty great wine. 

Fiano is the benchmark grape of Campania, and the best examples come from Avellino, a mountainous area where vineyards sit at high elevations on pure volcanic soils.  Fiano also happens to be one of few white wines in Italy that age really well. So you could put this one away, but she is showing beautifully right now. Crystalline, pure, slightly salty, with juicy, ripe pear and the chalky texture/smoky notes that comes straight from those volcanic soils, this is classic, textbook Fiano. The grape is aromatically shy at first, but after a few minutes in the glass it brightens up with flint, lime and green apple. So perfect with braised greens, roast chicken or some pesce crudo.