Ciro Picariello Fiano di Avellino 2023

Ciro Picariello started making wine with his wife Rita in 1997 and released his first wine under his own label in 2004, working about 7 hectares at high elevation in Irpinia. Ciro 906 is the estate's flagship, a single-vineyard cru from the first vines he planted in 1990, in Summonte at around 650 metres on rocky volcanic clay. The name is simply the parcel's number on the official Avellino register. It is made only in the best, cooler vintages. The grapes are harvested very late, in late October, hand-sorted and pressed gently. Fermentation is cool and slow, about 60 days, and the wine then rests on its fine lees in stainless steel for around a year, with at least six more months in bottle before release. No oak is used.

The result is among the most serious Fianos made. Lemon curd, unripe peach and sweet pear sit over crushed stone, chamomile, white flowers and a flinty, toasty nuance that gives it a distinctive savoury edge. The palate is fresh, tense and structured, with high acidity and a long, chalky finish. Wine Advocate scored the 2022 at 94 points and described it as unoaked yet showing impeccable freshness and balance, and called Picariello's Fiano a clear protagonist among Campania's great whites.