Joaquin 2025 dall'Isola Campania Bianco

On the island of Capri off the Amalfi, there are not many vines. It's very rare, special and historic for Raffaele Pagano of Joaquin to own a small plot of co-planted Greco, Falanghina, and Biancolella (less than 1 hectare). The vines are very old, ungrafted, and in people's backyards with a foggy view of Mount Vesuvius in the distance. The grapes are co-fermented with a short stint on the skins (not imparting any color whatsoever) followed by 6 months on the lees. Everything happens in stainless steel and the pure limestone soils really get to take a front seat in framing the wine. The wine feels sea-kissed and breezy with lovely ozone notes, river stones, rainwater, underripe pear, lemon, and finishing with an umami, salty finish. Refreshig and bright acidity too! This would be a perfect pairing for sushi, or any raw fish for that matter. While this wine is quite different from Raffaele's Fiano, there is a simialr phenomeonon of feeling textured yet weightless at the same time. Bravo!

-ML