Fiano Reserve 2021

Just as Vermentino came to our vineyards inspired by its popularity in sunny, coastal Liguria and Sardinia, its immediate success here raised hopes of achieving the same high standard with Fiano, the white wine grape which flourishes in southernmost Italy, from Puglia in the east to Campania, around Vesuvius, on the west coast. Fiano is thick-skinned in character as well as construction, tolerating both rainfall and hot sunshine as normal weather conditions. In 2013, our viticulturist Fernando Franco – who selected outstanding strains of Sauvignon Blanc for us, in New Zealand (see that wine, above) – visited our founder’s estate in Puglia, to study their fine results with Fiano. Thus, in the first year of Fiano vines’ availability in America (2014), we were ready and energized to pursue this next pioneering commitment. As we’d hoped, Fiano sprang to life in these vineyards as if needing no introduction.

In the winery, Fiano Reserve follows the techniques of stainless-steel fermentation and aging, avoiding any oak, which give us our Viognier and Vermentino Reserves, except that the Fiano is consistently blended with a second Italian staple, Falanghina, at 5 to 10 percent per vintage. From wine competitions to the critical press, this youngest of our white Reserve offerings immediately won and continues to hold the heights of enthusiasm, for its singular fusion of melon-like, citrusy, and floral aromatics and flavors, of a refreshing and notably mineral palate.