Ciro Picariello has quickly become one of the star producers of Fiano di Avellino. He and his wife started their winery back in 1997, but their first vintage under their label was not until 2004. Their 12 hectares of vineyards are located at a relatively high elevation in the province of Campania, divided between the villages of Montefredane (1,600 feet above sea level) and Summonte (2,100 feet).

The ‘San Nicolo’ vineyard is roughly half-a-hectare, and was originally owned by Angelina Biondi, the great aunt of Ciro. She was a fantastic person, died at the age of 99, with a great sense of humor and young spirit. The vines lie on the side of a spent crater, which is 12,000 years old and very steep, with supporting dry stone terraced walls. The soil is very rich in iron especially on the top, where there is red pumice.  All the vines in this vineyard are ungrafted, thanks to the volcanic soil which won’t support phylloxera.

Like his ‘Outis’, the Rosso produced from ‘San Nicolo’ is 80% Nerello Mascalese-20% Nerello Cappuccio.  The wines from this site tend towards elegance and perfume. This is the most elegant wine I have tasted from Sicily, and one of the best; it shows an almost Burgundian combination of finesse and substance, leaving a wonderful lingering impression on the palate. The wine shows no overt oak, only excellent, clean and balanced winemaking.

Organic Farming