Fiano di Avellino 2019

With another outstanding performance, Clelia Romano clearly demonstrates that she is the premier Fiano producer and the benchmark by which others have come to be measured. Brilliant and sparkling in the glass, the 2018 Colli di Lapio Fiano di Avellino offers up an enticing array of aromas and flavours: spring flowers, stone fruits, and incense all make their appearance and exude a seductive energy with pinpoint precision, refreshing acidity, and gentle minerality. Moreover, it finishes with verve and vivacity that includes a refreshing hint of sea spray.This young Fiano is absolutely brilliant now, yet a moderate chill (40º-45° F) and a few minutes of aeration in the glass will only enhance the pleasure. Born upon hills not far from the sea and recalls the entrancing beauty of the Campania and nearby Amalfi Coast. From the craggy Amalfi Coast that soars high above the swirling depths and the rugged green Apennine Mountains that climb precipitously inland to the very backbone of Italy. Made to highlight the catch of the day as well as the produce of the land, this white makes a brilliant partner to all kinds of fish, shellfish, veal, chicken, and legumes. Rock fish, mullet, snapper, and shrimp all provide excellent pairings, with Shrimp Scampi topping the list. Cioppino. Colli di Lapio is a small, family owned winery - Run with expert care and supreme dedication by Clelia Romano and her family and comprises a mere 8 hectares (approximately 19 acres). The winery, adjacent to the property’s superbly tended vineyards, is both modern and clean but no bigger than a large garage. And having spent time at the winery with Clelia and her family we can attest to its diminutive size and continue to wonder how Clelia and the estate’s winemaker Angelo Pizzi can even turn around in the place during harvest time, as there is not a single centimeter of space to spare. Fiano is one of the two noble white grapes of southern Italy. It draws its name from the vine’s ancient name vitis apiana, meaning vine beloved by bees. The finest examples of Fiano hail from the environs of the ancient Campania town of Avellino; hence, the name of the D.O.C.G. contains both the varietal name and its generic origin – Fiano di Avellino. Fiano has been grown in and around Avellino for more than two millennia. This noble grape variety is believed to have been brought to the Italian peninsula by the Greeks more than 2,500 years ago. Fiano’s reputation is both long and illustrious: its forebears are reputed to have been the favorite libation of Roman elite vacationing along the Amalfi Coast.