Campanian`s Great White by Tom Hyland, Decanter Feb. 2014

Campania's
great whites
There's a buzz surround ing the aromatic,
food-friend ly whites of this southern region, thanks
to renewed efforts in the vineyard and cellar by
d edicated producers. Tom Hy land exp lains why
Falanghina, Greco and Fiano are better than ever
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I I ta l y 20 1 4 • DECANTER
GIVEN THE EXCITEMENT su rrounding wines made
from th ree white indigenous varieties of Campania
- Falanghina, Greco and Fiano - you might assume
t hese vines had sprung up over the past few
decades, rather tha n several millennia ago. Yet the
reality is that the area's producers have only begun
to captu re these grapes' potential over the past IO
to 15 years. Antonio Capaldo, owner of Feudi di San
Gregorio, one of the region's most celebrated
estates, notes that while the most important factor
in t hese wines is the terroir, the dedication of his
fellow producers - 'their individual work, t heir
exchanges, t heir debate about quality and style' has also been critical to the area's development.
Campania's producers share a palpable pride in
t heir land and its products. Ilaria Petitto, owner of
Donnach iara in Montefalcione, speaks in glowing
terms about Irpinia (the historical name given t o
the province of Avell ino), where her vineyards and
winery are located. 'This uncontaminated land is a
true mountain viticu lture,' she enthuses. Vi neyards
CAM PAN IA
are located at 300m to 600m above sea level, and
the climate - cold in the winter and cool in the
summer, combined with wide temperature ranges,
abundant light and morning fog- helps provide
ideal conditions for highly perfumed, aromatic
wines with a marked acidic structure.
The picture wasn't always as rosy. Vineyards
were abandoned during World War II, resulting in
the near-extinction of these three varieties (along
with dozens of other indigenous grapes). However,
thanks to the work of Antonio Mastroberardino,
the patriarch of the family estate in Atripalda,
Greco and Fiano were saved as Mastroberardino
worked with his father after the war, propagating
buds and replanting new vines across Irpinia.
More recently, Francesco Avallone set out to
rescue Falanghina in the northern province of
Caserta in the seaside area known as Massico.
Perfoming some of th e same tasks as the
Mastroberardino family in the loca l fields, Avallone
brought this va riety back to life du ring the 1970s;
Above: the breathtaking
views of the Sorrento
peninsula, near Amalfi
Far left: Villa Raiano's
vineyards produce all three
of Campania's great whites
- Falanghina, Greco di Tufo
and Fiano di Avellino
today h is son Salvatore produces some of the most
intense expressions of Falanghina at his Villa
Matilde estate in Cellole, as well as at vineyards
situated in the inland province of Benevento.
The big th ree
Each variety has distinctive attributes, resulting in
particularly singular wines. Falanghina, planted in
all five provinces of Campania (unlike Greco and
Fiano) is known for its vibrant acidity that gives the
wine 'its skeleton, muscles and body', says Salvatore
Avallone. He loves Falanghina wines for their
'amazing freshness and youth'.
For Vincenzo Mercurio, consultant winemaker
for several estates inclu.d ing I Fava ti and Fattoria La
Rivolta, the characteristics of Falangh ina change
dramatica lly depending on where it is planted . 'On
the coast, such as in Campi Flegrei (just north of
Naples), Falangh ina is able to live in sandy soils,
while in land in Benevento there is an older clone
t hat doesn't perform well close to the sea. >-DECA N TER • It aly 20 14 I 73
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Campania
plantings:
Falanghlna
(planted across all
five provinces of
Campania) 2,763ha
Greco di Tufo 823ha
Flano d'Avellino
700ha
Left: winemaker Fortunato
Sebastiano at Villa Raiano
describes Greco di Tufo,
such as his Contrada
Marotta (below), as 'more
vertical, with strength and
bulk' t han Fiano
(There is an
awareness
that each of us
has to not
produce
merely greater
wine, but true
wine, linked to
the land and to
the person who
mal<.es it'
Sabino Loffredo,
Pietracupa
Falangh ina from Campi Flegrei is more flora l, while
examples from Benevento are fru itier, with notes of
pi neapple and cit rus fru it.'
Most Falanghina wines are unoaked a nd
consumers have embraced this easy-drinking style
over the past decade - that has resu lted in more
plantings. One of the grape's biggest supporters is
Piero Mastroberardino, son of Antonio and current
managing d irector of the family fi rm, who has taken
the grape to his Morabianca estate in Mi rabella
Eclano. 'In t he past, Fala nghina was considered a
grape that perfor ms less well than Greco or Fiano,
but st arting in the 1990s, we showed that it's just a
matter of professionalism in viticu lture,' he says.
Through clonal selection and study of soils,
Mastroberardino's Fala nghina is lovely- h is 2012 is
his finest example to date.
Moving on to Greco and Fiano, the most fa mous
examples are Greco di Tufo and Fiano di Avell ino,
bot h from Irpinia, 50km from the sea. While the
volcanic soils found here (largely due to
er uptions from Mount Vesuvius over t he
centuries) lend each wine a well-defin ed
mi nera lity, there are stri king differences.
'Greco is a more direct wine, with strong
impact, evident fr uit iness and a d istinctive
sapidity,' Mastroberardino says. 'Fiano is a
more complex wine wit h flavours redolent of
white flowers, dried roses, herbs and citrus.
It's more delicate and softer on t he palate.'
Sabino Loffredo, winema ker at
Pietracupa in Montefreda ne agrees. He
calls Greco 'a profound wine - surly, at
times coarse, with a saline note', wh ile he
t hinks Fiano 'initia lly seems dignified, but
ca n be st retched out in a soft and subtle
elegance'. Loffredo, one of Irpin ia's most
high ly respected winemakers, produces
o utstanding versions of each wine t hat
offer amazing varieta l purity as well as
great intensity and powerful minerality.
At Villa Ra ia no in San Michele di Serino,
winemaker For tunato Sebastia no works with both
varieties, and his single-vineyard wines (two Fianos,
one Greco) have brought great accla im to the estate
over the last th ree yea rs. He describes Fiano as
'softer and more horizontal', a nd Greco as 'more
vertical, w it h a strength and bulk'. He notes the
slightly lower acidity in Fiano compa red t o Greco
and stresses that when vinifyi ng these wines, 'the
secret is ageing them on their lees, but not in wood'.
Wines of stee l
As most producers use stainless steel to ferment
and age t hese wi nes (Mastroberardino has a
notable exception with More Ma iorum Fiano),
t erroi r usually emerges. This is especially the case
with Fiano di Avelli no, as this area is more
widespread tha n that of Greco di Tufo (26 villages
approved for Fiano as opposed to eight fo r Greco).
At Feudi di San Gregorio, Capaldo has been
conducting research on specfic sites for several
years. His efforts are just being rewarded, with
two new single-vi neyard Fiano bottlings from
the excellent 201 2 vintage (on top of his estat e
Fiano and single-vineyard Pietracalda from a
vineyard just below the winery).
Each wine is sou rced from one of the firm's
vineyards; one from Lapio in the northern
reaches of the Fiano di Avellino zone, the
other from a vineyard called Pietrascilonga,
located in Sorbo Serpico in the southern
Fia no sector. The former has a classic Fiano
profile: lemon zest, apple and magnol ia
aromas with structure and length . The
latter is more exotic, with green tea, nettle,
rosemary, mint and balsamic. This profile
is main ly due to the long, cool ripening
season at th is vineyard, sit uated 500m
above sea level, assuring excellent a romatic
complexity. In 201 2, t he last grapes here
were ha rvested on l 8 December! ~
II
D E CANTER • I t aly 20 1 4 I 75
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Right: Piero Mastroberadino has taken the Falanghina
grape to his Morablanca estate in Mirabella Eciano
'Going back to basics is the future for Campania,'
says Capaldo. 'But I don't mean that the answer is
to make the wines simpler or to aggregat e the
characters of a ll three varieties into one with the
excuse of making t he wine communication easier.
I do t hi nk that we need t o express the incredible
va riety-of soils, climate, asp ect - that enrich es our
region. We need to work on this, and work hard.'
Mastroberardino point s t o the work done by his
firm over the past 15 years, regarding density of
planning, site selection a nd rootstock research that
have improved wines across the board. 'It's not only
a matter of natu re , but also innovation, research
and hard work in order to increase the knowledge
about our grapes and wines; he argues.
While recent success has led to more producers
working with these varieties - and in turn greater
publicity for this area - no one can forget the past
in Campania, as Loffredo reminds us. 'There is an
awareness that each of us has to not produce merely
greater wine, but true wine, linked to the land and
to t he person who makes it.' m
Tom Hyland is the author of Beyond Barolo a nd
Brunello: It aly's Most Distinc tive Wi nes
'In the past, Falanghina was considered a grape
that performs less well than Greco or Piano, but
we've showed that it's just a matter of
professionalism in viticulture'
Piero Mastroberardino
A taste of Campania: 13 great whites to try
Falanghina
Villa Matilde, Falerno del Massico
2011 17.75/ 20pts (92/ lOOpts)
£17.50 EuroWines
Pineapple, banana and hyacinth
aromas. Excellent ripeness; very
good acidity. Drink 2014-201 5
Alcohol 13.5%
Mastroberardlno, Morablanca
201217.5 (91)
£16.35 Mondial Wln e
Jasmine, mandarin orange
and golden apple perfumes.
Medium-full, lively acidity,
quite delicious! Drink 2014-2015
Alc 13.5%
Grotta del Sole, Coste di Cuma,
Campi Flegrei 2011 17 (90)
NA/ UK grottadelsole.it
Anise, spearmint and Bose pear
aromas. Notable wood, but
excellent persistence and lively
acidity. Drink 2014 - 2015 Ale 13.5%
great typicity and outst anding
complexity. A benchmark.
Drink 2014-2018 Ale 13.5%
FeudidiSan
Gregorio, Cutlzzi
2012 18.25 (94)
£16.35 Hallgarten
Druit t, Novum Wines,
Woodbridge Wine Co
Lime, lemon zest and
roasted almond nose.
Lovely ripeness,
balance and
complexity. Great
t ypicity, with an appealing subtle
quality. Drink 2014-2018 Ale 13%
Villa Raiano, Contrada Marotta
2012 18 (93)
£18.50 Prestige Food and Wine
Aromas of Bose pear. jasmine
and lanolin. Rich mid-palate,
lengthy finish, great complexity
and strong mineralit y.
Drink 20 14- 20 17 Ale 13.5%
Greco di Tufo
Pietracupa 2012 19 (96)
£16.35-£21.99 AG Wines, Ast rum,
Wined Up Here, Woodwinters
Powerful; superb balance with
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I It a ly
2014 •
Tenuta Cavalier Pepe, Nestor
2012 17.75 (92)
N/ A UK tenutapepe.it
Lemon zes t, yellow flower and
D ECANT ER
almond aromas. Distinct
minerality and excellent
persistence. Dri nk 2014-2017
Ale 13.5%
Donnachiara 2012
18 (93)
£16.35 Enologia
Delicate tropical fruit
perfumes; rich
m id-palate and
d istinct minerality.
Drink 2014-2015
Al c1 3%
Fiano di Avellino
Ciro Picariello2011 18.25 (94)
£20 HSFine Wines, Berry Brothers
&Rudd
Camomile, ru bbed sage and
mint. Intense concentration
wit h subtle mineralit y.
Drink 2014-2022 Ale 13.5%
Mastroberardino,
Radici 2012 18.25 (94)
£19.89 Mondial Wine
Lovely tropical fruit
aromas; very stylish,
charming wi ne
with outstanding
persistence.
Drink 2014- 2022
Alc l3.5%
Villa Diamante, Vigna della
Congregazione 2011 18.25 (94)
£35 Tutto Wines
Lush and power ful with str iking
mineralit y and vibrant acid ity.
Drink 2014-2020 Ale 13.5%
Feudidl San
Gregorio, Pletracalda
2012 18 (93)
£18.99 widely available via
Hallgarten Druitt
Pineapple and lemon peel
aromas. Bright fruit, lively
acidit y, light minerality.
Drink 2014-2017 Ale 13%
-
Villa Raiano, Alimata
2012 17.5 (91)
£18. 50 Prestige Wines
Subtle perfume of
green tea. Distinct
minera lity, subdued
styling. Drink
2014- 2017 Ale 13.5%
For full details of UK
stockists, see p88