Drink More Fiano!
2/27/26 -
I have always felt like Fiano is sitting on the precipice of notoriety, somewhere in the shadow of the culty spaces that Chenin Blanc and Riesling occupy. Like these two grapes, Fiano has aging potential and complex secondary and tertiary notes. Smoke, salt, almonds and stone notes show even in Fiano's youth, but evolve and expand with age. Most vines are also quite old and low yielding on the volcanic soils of Mount Vesuvius. Fiano is such a fantastic grape with so much complex fruit, phenolic texture and sense of place. Today, I am highlighting three producers, each one with a distinct style, yet rooted in tradition.
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Joaquin
The story of Raffaele Pagano (pictured above amongst his 120+ year-old vines) is one of inheriting family vines used for large-scale production, but he decided to take a path more creative, challenging, and celebratory of his terroir. He started the Joaquin project in the early 2000's and total yearly production caps around 18,000 bottles. Today we are focusing on two bottlings of Fiano, Vino delle Stella 2019 and Piante e Lapio 2018. I was struck by the complexity, depth and concentration of these wines, after tasting them for the first time recently.
Vino della Stella 2019 is from a single parcel in the town of Lapio with clay-limestone volcanic soils, some of the best terroir for Fiano in the province of Avellino. The wine spends eight months on the lees in stainless steel, followed by significant bottle aging. The nose is gorgeous with notes of smoked honey, jasmine, and hazelnut praline, with the palate following with sesame, toast and sea salt all with a very long and broad finish. The palate keep expanding and evolving.
Piante e Lapio 2018 is from 80-100 year old high elevation Fiano vines. Raffaele is fermenting in chestnut and acacia casks and then aging in those barrels for almost five years with no topping up. This flor aging serves to deepen the fruit and saltiness, but its not overwhelmingly nutty or oxidative like a Jura Savagnin. Surprisingly, there is an abundance of fresh fruit like quince, pear, apricot, preserved lemon and smoked honey.
"Raffaele's wines veer aesthetically from the mainstream of their appellation while simultaneously seeming to reveal something even truer and more visceral about their place of origin" -Rosenthal Wine Merchants
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Ciro Picariello
In the towns of Montefredane and Summonte in Avellino are Ciro Picariello and Rita Guerriero making some of our favorite wines. Their style is marked by higher tones, extended lees aging, and minimal use of wood. Their vines sit at some of the highest points of the appellation, bringing an apparent freshness to the wines. Today we have one methode champenoise sparkling Fiano, and two still Fiano.
They are beautiful, full of elegance, but not short at all on power. They're drinking well now, but can surely be put down for a handful of years. The vines are tended with organic methods, with very limited treatments of copper and sulfur. The cool climate, and the slow, healthy ripening of fruit has helped Ciro deliver wines of such stunning character.
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Cantina Giardino
Cantina Giardino owns such a soft spot in my heart because they were my entry to the natural wine world ten years ago. Antonio and Daniela De Gruttola started the project in 2003 with the mission of preserving old vineyards and fermenting wines with little additions.
Their Campania Fiano Gaia 2022 is from 90 year old vines with two days of skin maceration, one year of aging in chestnut and acacia barrels, and two years of bottle aging before release. The wine is the most savory and herbal from today's lineup showing how diverse Fiano can be! Woodsy, herbal notes like dill and thyme with some salty minerality and grippy tannins in the finish.
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I think I've made it clear that Fiano is a personal favorite grape of mine- I adore the notes of stone fruit, flowers, sea salt, honey, smoke, almonds, and toast that gives Fiano its distinct character. Hopefully this is a reminder to give Fiano space on your dinner table or in your cellar!
-Marisa Licandro
