Campania Stories 2024
By John Szabo, MS
Campania is a region of singular beauty in the southern Italian Peninsula. It includes the Phlegraean Islands, Ischia, Procida, Vivara and Nisida, and the jewel, Capri, under its administrative umbrella. With nearly 6 million inhabitants, it is Italy’s 3rd most populous, and, as anyone who has travelled in its capital city of Naples would know, the most densely populated region in the country. Abundant sunshine, dramatic scenery, a rich tradition of gastronomy and the south’s deepest repertoire of fine wines conspire to make the region a joyful place. In fact, the Romans referred to it as Campania Felix, or “happy country”.
Campania is surely among the most dynamic of Italy’s 20 regions when it comes to the breadth of its wine offer, featuring an enviable ampelographic richness in a country celebrated for its varietal diversity. Several varieties are even able to trace their lineage directly back to the vinous residues discovered in Pompeii, with over 2000 years of history in the region.
Jump to:
Buyer’s Guide: Best of Campania Current Releases
Aglianico
Piedirosso
Red Blends
Other Reds
Sparkling
Fiano
Greco
Falanghina
Other Whites
Back Vintages Worth Tracking down
See all 300+ Reviews: John’s 2024 Campania Stories
At latest count there are some 26,000ha of vineyards planted, which yield between 2% and 4% of Italy’s total yearly wine production, numbers that put Campania about middle of the league table of the country’s 20 regions. But behind those seemingly small numbers lies dazzling diversity, of grapes and styles. The region counts 19 Protected Denominations of Origin (PDOs or “DOPs” in Italian) across the provinces of Benevento, Avellino, Salerno and Caserta, as well as the Naples Metropolitan Area. Four of these sit at the highest DOCG classification level: the red wines Taurasi and Aglianico del Taburno, and whites Fiano di Avellino and Greco di Tufo.
To these you can add another 10 of the slighter more loosely defined Protected Geographical Indications (PGIs, or “IGP” in Italian) appellations, starting from the broadest IGP Campania that covers the entire region, to probably the most obscure (I’ve never seen a wine from it), the IGP Epomeo.
“Twenty years ago, nobody talked about Campania wines, just about a handful of historic producers like Mastroberardino, Villa Matilde, Ocone, Grotta del Sole, perhaps a dozen or so names”, Neapolitan winegrower Salvatore Martusciello reflects. “Now it’s a serious category, with over 500 commercial wineries”.
I’ve been several times to Campania, most recently in May of 2024 for the annual release of new vintages called Campania Stories, a well-organized event that provided the perfect opportunity to get caught up on the rapidly changing scene. It was one of the most enjoyable and satisfying visits I’ve made in the last few years of travel, and the quality and diversity of wines exceeded all expectations. The region is still fermenting, with lots of crazy ideas bubbling over and constant change notable everywhere. Producers make new additions to their ranges, apply new trials and techniques, and revisit ancient ones with every passing vintage. This makes it tough, or perhaps pointless, to over-generalize about wines from the region.
White wines in particular represent an amazingly rich category. Perhaps counterintuitively for southern Italy, whites account almost half of the total regional production of Campania. And it is here that I’ve noted the most dramatic advancements in the last ten years, with big technical steps forward. The ageing potential of the best whites from Campania is astonishing.
Although Campania lies on a bed of limestone and marl, the soils in virtually every corner of Campania are influenced by volcanic activity. The regular and massive historic eruptions of the nearby island of Lipari, the Campi Flegrei, Roccamonfina, Monte Vulture and, of course, Vesuvius have deposited ash and tephra throughout the entire region, enriching the soils with a potent mix of minerals. Soils are so fertile that plants and trees burst out of the ground with unusual vigor, and fruit and vegetables reach their maximum flavor potential. The greatest known wine of antiquity – Falernum – was made here.
Vesuvius is of course still active, but the Campi Flegrei (“Fields of Fire”), essentially a suburb of Naples around the Bay of Pozzuoli, is even more so; there are thousands of earthquakes there each year (I missed a big one by about 12 hours on my last visit this past May). And the whole area has been uplifted by almost two meters since the early 1980s in a phenomenon called bradyseism, the gradual uplift of part of the Earth’s surface caused by the filling of an underground magma chamber. And the last of the Campi Flegrei’s 29 volcanic craters formed as recently as 1538. Needless to say, a large eruption in this heavily populated area would be calamitous.
Campanian Grape Primer
(Taken in part from my book, Volcanic Wines, Salt, Grit and Power, with permission from me)
More than any other region in the mezzogiorno, Campania remains a stronghold for native grapes. Indeed, Campania’s principle grape varieties today are largely the same ones that were planted in Pompeii, the Roman trading town made tragically famous in the cataclysmic eruption of Vesuvius in 79AD that buried it under pyroclastic outflow and preserved it for posterity.
Written records and residues from amphorae discovered in the town prove that the reds aglianico and piedirosso, and the whites greco, fiano, falanghina and coda di volpe have been planted in the region for at least 2000 years. And they still headline in the region. The steadfast vision of important wine industry figures such as the Mastroberardino family, especially in the post-war industrialization of Italy, and later in the 1970s and 1980s by other important figures like Leonardo Mustilli, has preserved an enviable viticultural heritage.
White Grapes
Falanghina is the most planted white, whose name derives from the traditional stake training best suited to it. Individual vines are tied to a single stake, in Latin called a falangae, to control its vigorous growth. Leonardo Mustilli in Sant’Agata de’ Goti in the Province of Benevento was the first producer to bottle a pure falanghina in 1979, and in the last couple of decades the grape has become enormously successful in Italy and abroad, a big turn-around for a variety that was not permitted in any of the region’s denominations until the end of the 1980s when it was included in the Falerno del Massico Bianco DOC of Caserta.
It is now permitted all over Campania. The detail-oriented will note that there are at least two distinct biotypes, and, according to some producers, in fact entirely distinct varieties with scant DNA relations that go under the name falanghina. Locally they are referred to as Falanghina Flegrea, a leaner, less fruity, more salty version prevalent in the Campi Flegrei, and the much fruitier and softer Falanghina Beneventana in Benevento and Avellino.
In either case, falanghina is produced most often in fresh, unoaked versions, playing to the Italian market’s demand for the youngest and freshest whites available, though some accomplished wood aged versions exist, like Villa Matilde’s Falerno del Massico Vigna Carraci and Fontanavecchia’s three-wine series of Taburno Falanghina del Sannio DOP “Libero Vendemmia Tardiva” from three different communes. And of all the notable changes that have occurred since my last visit, the increase in the quality of falanghina offerings stands out. Maria Cristina Avallone of Villa Matilde even puts falanghina (and greco) above fiano: “I love most greco and falanghina” she says, as they are “more nervous, with more personality”. “Communication has been focused on greco and fiano, but I believe that falangnina is at least on equal footing. It ages really well and can be made into anything from sparkling to passito.”
Fiano and Greco are unquestionably two of southern Italy’s greatest white varieties, whose qualities were already well known in the days of Pompeii. A common question in the region is: are you Grechista or Fianista? It’s like asking someone from Rome whether they support Lazio or AC Roma – feelings run deep on the matter (everyone from Naples supports Napoli). I’ll permit myself to support neither and love both.
On the technical side, Fiano is loose-bunched and relatively easy to grow. It figures most prominently in the Fiano di Avellino DOCG, and was the first white along with neighboring Greco di Tufo to be granted the top classification in the south. It’s believed to originate in the commune of Lapio, a small town in the hills east of Avellino where ancient, 200+ year-old vines still exist. Regional hero Antonio Mastroberardino is credited with reviving fiano’s fortunes, bottling his first in 1945.
Fiano has a truly unique flavor, distinguished from other local grapes by its distinctly non-fruity profile, more like a mix of fennel and fresh herbs, hazelnuts and honey, chamomile and acacia flowers, which grows more toasty and smoky with time. It can be rather full-bodied and vigorous, and highly age worthy, especially in the heavier clays around the town of Lapio, but most commonly on the mid-weight, sharper side in the more loosely packed ash and sands in the rest of the Avellino area.
Greco is another ancient and equally celebrated grape, brought to Italy from Thessaly by the Greeks in the distant mists of time. Unlike fiano, Greco is difficult to grow, the wild child of Campanian grapes. “It’s savage and unfriendly”, says Pier Paolo Sirch of Feudi di San Gregorio, “low-yielding and sensitive”. It’s also very prone to oxidation in the winery, and careful handling is necessary to prevent a premature overly deep colour and oxidized flavours. But when it behaves it can be counted as one of Italy’s best, and most age worthy whites.
The finest examples hail from the high elevation (500+ meters) communes within the Greco di Tufo DOCG, including Santa Paolina, Montefusco and Tufo itself. If fiano is not particularly fruity, Greco is even less so, but nor is it floral or herbal. It’s a wine marked more by its big structure, sometimes downright palpably tannic – with high acids (usually over 7 grams of total acidity) and alcohol, managing the tricky balance between concentration, density and freshness better than most grapes. Winemakers consider it more “mineral” than fiano and in a portfolio tasting it’s usually the last white to be shown.
Coda di Volpe, orCauda Volpium(fox’s tail)to the Romans owning to the bunch’s curved shape that resembles the tail of a fox, isa widely planted white variety in Campania, most prominently in the province of Benevento (Sannio and Taburno) and occasionally in Avellino. It’s been confused for centuries with caprettone, a distinct variety that has historically been planted on the slopes of Vesuvius, and which is enjoying a minor renaissance now that it has been identified.
Whereas coda di volpe produces generally soft, fruity and easy drinking wines for immediate consumption, always the first variety to be poured when tasting through a producer’s range, caprettone, which is limited to the volcanic slopes of Vesuvius, is naturally higher in acid (though not as acid as, say, greco or fiano), and delivers marked saline mineral character and even a touch of petrol. It also works well as a base for sparkling.
The Island of Ischia enjoys two high quality indigenous grapes, biancolella and forastera, related to no other known varieties on the mainland. Indeed, they were once trademarked names of Casa D’Ambra, the oldest producer on Ischia, though the rights were given up when the Ischia Bianco DOC was modified in 1992 to include the grape names. Of the pair, usually bottled pure, Biancolella is the more pale, delicate, floral, pretty variety, like a gentle whiff of spring flowers. “It’s not by coincidence that the native grapes of Ischia have feminine names”, Giuseppe Mattera Casa D’Ambra tells me. “These are refined, elegant wines.” Forastera is the more perfumed, fruity, imposing, fuller bodied grape, perhaps with more immediate international appeal. But again, everything is relative; even forastera is a delicate, lightly salty white wine in the grand context of wine.
Red Grapes
Of the red grapes grown in Campania, aglianico is by far the flagship and most planted. It’s also one of Italy’s greatest red grapes, capable of producing wines of extreme complexity and longevity. It is responsible for the region’s only two DOCG red appellations, Aglianico del Taburno and Taurasi. The former is made from a distinct variation on the variety, known locally as aglianico amaro, which tends to be softer and rounder, less structured and earlier maturing than the aglianico of the Taurasi area. But again, everything is relative; all versions are on the structured, tannic and acid end of the spectrum, acquiring occasionally a brute force that can shock the uninitiated.
Aglianico is believed to have originated in Greece. The Romans referred to it as vitis ellenica, or the “Hellenic grape”. Its tight bunches make it prone to rot, which explains its superior performance in the dry zones of Taurasi and Taburno. The best have that unmistakable Italianate character of dryness and austerity, more gravel than sandpaper, with a highly complex range of flavours that occupies the savoury pie of the aroma wheel: leather, tobacco, pot-pourri, tar, licorice, sun-warmed terra cotta, and much more.
Aglianico is often referred to as the nebbiolo of the south (thanks mainly to the grand old Taurasis of Mastroberardino), sharing the characteristics of high tannins and acids, savoury flavours and extreme longevity. Though its colour, and fruit character, are generally much darker and more brooding than nebbiolo’s. Another similarity is the blunting effect of an over-lavish use of new wood, which dulls the otherworldly perfume of both grapes. Aglianico also produces magical, medicinal wines on the slopes of the Vulture volcano in neighboring Basilicata.
Piedirosso (aka Per e’ Palummo) is the next most planted red grape in Campania after aglianico, yet another ancient variety described in considerable detail by Roman authors like Pliny the Elder. The name, meaning “red foot” (or “pigeon’s foot”) is a reference to the red colour of the stems and veins of the leaves, which are said to resemble the red feet of pigeons.
Most vintners complain of the variety’s lack of colour and structure. “It’s the most difficult variety in the world, an anarchist”, states Raffaele Moccia of Agnanum in the Campi Flegrei with noted hyperbole, who happens to make one of Campania’s better examples. “Either you know how to make it, or you don’t make any. You might only grow canes and leaves.” Historically, and still today, it is used as a blending component to soften the tannic impact of aglianico.
Consider piedirosso as David to aglianico’s Goliath, a paler, lighter, crunchier, lower alcohol, more-acid-than-tannic variety that matches the current trend for ‘crushable’ or chillable reds. And like falanghina, the quality of piedirosso has risen exponentially in the last decade, especially in the Campi Flegrei and Vesuvius. It’s the Campanian equivalent to Beaujolais’s gamay, Jura’s trousseau, the Canary Islands’ listán negro, or Chile’s país, to give a few obscure references. Pure piedirosso can be found in the Ischia, Campi Flegrei, Taburno and Sannio DOCs, among others, and is generally best consumed young, with a chill for the lighter versions.
Sciascinoso is another typical blending partner with piedirosso, most famously in the Lacryma Christi Rosso DOC. It’s a much easier variety to grow and vinify, yielding fresh, red fruit-scented wines with modest alcohol and tannins and lively acids. Pure Sciascinoso is exceedingly rare.
The rest of the minor red and white grapes grown in Campania would take another full article to log (there are about one hundred cultivars in total), which I’ll leave aside for now. But as the interest in native varieties continues to grow, both from producers’ and consumers’ perspective, we’ll no doubt be hearing more about the odd local specialties in years to come.
Now on to the wines to track down. Below are the best, by variety, of the over 300 wines tasted in May of this year at Campania Stories.
Buyer’s Guide: Best of Campania Current Releases
Aglianico
96 Tenuta del Meriggio Taurasi Riserva DOCG 2013
Bottled in November 2023, Meriggio has yet to decide what to do with this spectacular aglianico, and it remains to be seen how it will be labelled as it has not yet even been released. A Riserva? or some kind of special label? Time will tell. It was three years in large cask and the rest in steel tank, extreme extended ageing you can say, and what an intriguing mix of mature and savoury fruit, dried flowers and pot pourri, dried mushrooms, fresh damp earth and leather, dried black cherries, plums and much more it delivers! The palate is fullish with great acids, succulent and saliva inducing, and wonderful sapidity and depth. Length, too, is excellent. An exceptional wine, with exceptional complexity. 4000 bottles made. Tasted May 2024.
95 FEUDI DI SAN GREGORIO Irpinia Aglianico DOP Serpico 2017
Feudi’s premium aglianico from ancient vines over 150 years old trained in the traditional way up tall posts and trees, the 2017 Serpico is a terrifically dense and complex wine, seemingly impervious to this hot vintage, showing no signs of tired or raisined fruit. Indeed, it’s still quite tightly wound up, offering a hint of the typical ripe red and black cherry fruit, but also the savoury side of aglianico, dusty porcini and dried wildflowers/pot pourri. The palate is broad and sleek, supremely well balanced given the substantial structure and depth, with oak at this point nicely integrated. Excellent length. A terrific vintage for this wine, much better than the 2016 in my view. Drink now-2037. Tasted May 2024.
94 Fattoria La Rivolta Aglianico del Taburno Riserva DOCG Terra di Rivolta 2017
Terrific aromatics here with a complex range of very ripe, black fruit, gentle wood spice, and the first emergence of the pot pourri spectrum typical of aglianico. There’s more dried fruit on the palate, almost Amarone-like, a massive, warm mouthful of wine, built to impress, yet still very much Italian, and aglianico, compared to the more modern-leaning Simbiosi Aglianico from La Rivolta. 14.5% alcohol, c. 400 cases. 35 grams dry extract. Tasted May 2024.
94 MONTEVETRANO Campania Aglianico IGP Core Rosso 2021
An aglianico pushed to the edge of ripeness here from Montevetrano, slipping now into the desiccated fruit zone, dried black plum, cherry, with roasted resinous herbs. The palate is broad and plush, mouthfilling and concentrated, like a fruit extract or paste, succulent and plush, supple and warm. A very polished style, the merlot of aglianico, with a savoury twist, impressive and broadly appealing. Tasted May 2024.
94 COLLI DI LAPIO Taurasi DOP Andrea 2019
Nice polish and development here; this is juicy and firm, zesty and succulent Taurasi with comfortable tannins, fine and dusty, coated in fruit extract, supported but not hardened by saliva-inducing acids. Complexity is high, aligning red and black fruit with botanical-tonic, herbal character, not yet into pot pourri, indicating potential longevity. I appreciate the lingering finish and the overall balance. Well made, superior wine. Best 2025-2035 or so. Tasted May 2024.
94 CONTRADE DI TAURASI Taurasi DOP Coste Bio 2018
Contrade di Taurasi’s 2018 Coste is an exceptionally concentrated and structured wine with deep layers of flavour spanning black, plummy cherry fruit, wild savoury herbs and fresh and dried flowers in an expression that seems to be barely out of the gates. Tannins are thick and rich, ripe but grippy, and should eventually turn velvety in time as there’s sufficient fruit to counterbalance and coat. Acids are likewise firm but comfortable. Terrific length and depth. Best from 2026-2036 or so. Tasted May 2024.
94 Feudi di San Gregorio Taurasi Riserva DOCG Guglielmus 2015
San Gregorio’s 2015 Riserva Guglielmus is showing very nicely now, evolved but still vibrant, with a compelling mix of dark fruit, ripe, desiccated but still intact, and the more evolved, dried flower side of the variety. Enters and fills the palate, and lingers impressively. Terrific complexity and depth overall. Drink or hold into the early ’30s. Tasted May 2024.
93 Villa Matilde Taurasi DOCG Tenuta Pietrafusa 2018
Evolving nicely and delivering plenty of ripe black cherry fruit, herbs, spice and floral notes in a complete expression, Villa Matilde’s Pietrafusa estate in Taurasi (Irpinia) is an impressive wine, well balanced, and highly appealing, a more modern interpretation with notable sweet oak influence. The palate is broad and full, structured but not hard, also very savoury, neither over nor under-extracted, with integrated alcohol at 14% declared. A well made wine, with a foot in the modern camp yet not neglectful of tradition, plush and generous. Drink or hold until the end of the decade. Aged in 12ha-30ha cask for c. 1.5 years. Tasted twice in May 2024.
Piedirosso
93 AGNANUM Campi Flegrei Piedirosso DOP Agnanum 2023
A clean and fragrant, strawberry jam-scented piedirosso from the small farm of Raffaele Moccia (?), lifted but in great shape, with delicious pure fruit flavours with a lick of wild herbs. I love the purity and the honesty on offer, and above all the drinkability of this wine, a sheer delight to drink. Gently grippy tannins indicate some potential cellaring, though I’d be tempted to drink this young, on the fruit, and lightly chilled. Tasted May 2024.
91 AGNANUM Campania Piedirosso IGP Sabbia Vulcanica NV
Open, lifted, floral in the natural wine style, Agnanum remains true to the house style with this non-vintage piedirosso from the volcanic sands of the Campi Flegrei practically in the suburbs of Naples. The acetic lift works quite well here, mixing up the bright, fresh and lively red fruit flavours, wild strawberry and raspberry. I love the silky texture, fine grained, the light alcohol and the playful acids. A wine to chill and enjoy over the near term – I can see this having huge success by the glass in any of the more natural leaning wine bars around the world. I would happily sip this. Tasted May 2024.
91 Cantina Astroni Campi Flegrei Piedirosso Riserva Tenuta Camaldoli 2017
A fully destemmed piedirosso, fermented in open-top wooden tanks with manual punch-downs, followed by ageing in casks of chestnut and cherry wood, 350l and old 225s. Evolving nicely now, very savoury and smoky, featuring dried mushrooms, very Italian and very volcanic. I like the salt and grit, very earthy and mushroom-y, long finish with good depth and sapidity, and concentration at just 12.5% alcohol. Tasted May 2024.
91 Salvatore Martusciello Campi Flegrei Piedirosso DOP Sette Vulcani 2023
A fine, fresh and fruity, evidently youthful expression of piedirosso, a little more tame and fruity than previous vintages from Martusciello. I like the way this works, perhaps the best direction to head in. Things are getting interesting… It’s clean and ripe, a little darker than the mean for the variety, and a silky and savoury delight on the palate, with terrific sapidity and intact fresh berry fruit, red and even darker. Wild herbs join the fray for additional varietal character. Fine length and depth. A very sharp example, saline and succulent, to enjoy over the next 2-4 years. Tasted twice in May 2024.
91 CANTINE OLIVELLA Vesuvio Rosso DOP Vesuvio 2022
Lightly reductive, peppery-woolly initially, be sure to give this wine some air, carafing or vigorous swirling in a large-sized glass, to bring out the underlying fruit. It delivers a pleasant raft of fresh dark fruit flavour alongside savoury-resinous-herbal character, as one would hope for from a red Vesuvio. Tannins are well managed, light and fine, supported by zesty but not hard acids. Length and depth are very good. A highly drinkable wine all in all, best from now (with air) till about 2028 or so – capture this on the fruit I’d suggest. Tasted May 2024.
90 ASTRONI Campi Flegrei Piedirosso DOP Colle Rotondella 2023
2023 saw a whopping 30% reduction in crop in this vintage, thanks to downy mildew at harvest, even if quality was not adversely affected in this otherwise warm year. On average, only 1000 bottles were produced from each of Astroni’s 10 hectares. This piedirosso is indeed very pretty, with lifted, strawberry, stemmy notes (fermented with 20% whole bunch), that tonic lift, also a touch of acetone. The palate is youthful and raw, light, lean, sharp, and juicy – acids provide much of the structure and succulence – with more of an acetic twist, while tannins are very light and fine but dusty and length and depth are good. A flat out delicious, tonic piedirosso from Astroni in the final analysis, not overly complicated but infinitely drinkable, a wine of the times. 12% ABV. Drink or hold short term – but why wait? Tasted May 2024.
90 CASA D’AMBRA Ischia Per’ e Palummo DOP Per’ e Palummo 2023
A more reductive example of piedirosso from the historic house of Casa D’Ambra on Ischia, with scorched earth, cracked black pepper, and wet wool leading over black cherry fruit. The palate is balanced, centered more on acids than tannins, mid-weight and juicy. Length is good. Cellar another year to blow out the reduction; will make for an enjoyable wine. Tasted May 2024.
90 Mustilli Piedirosso Sannio DOP 2021
Stainless steel only. An unusually clean and fruity version of piedirosso, absent the common leathery-dried herb flavours of the variety, seems cleaner and tighter, delicious and sapid. Love this wine, drinking perfectly now. All ripe red berry fruit, pure and inviting. Chill and go. Tasted May 2024.
90 BOSCO DE’ MEDICI Pompeiano Rosso IGP Agathos 2022
A more ambitious example here it appears from Bosco dei’ Medici, a pure piedirosso aged in tonneaux and showing some oak spice off the top, though expect also more varietal savoury-herbal character alongside black but mostly red fruit flavours. There’s impressive substance on the palate, also very good length, but it will need another couple of years to fully integrate. Good, representative wine. Tasted May 2024.
Red Blends
95 MONTEVETRANO Colli di Salerno Rosso IGP Montevetrano 2021
Montevetrano’s Colli di Salerno is composed of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Aglianico from the commune of San Cipriano Picentino, aged 14 months in new French barriques. It’s one of those impressive wines straight off the top, of a different class, deeply, darkly fruity, polished and modern with nary a hint of rusticity. The masses of fruit extract absorb the oak flavours admirably, blending with the plummy-cassis flavours of the French varieties, while displaying the herbal-floral side and lightly desiccated black fruit of (very ripe) aglianico. It’s beautifully structured but also seamless, even if still 3-5 years away from prime drinking. I appreciate the restraint and subtlety – alcohol is a moderate 13.5% and nothing is overdone. So nicely detailed, accomplished and compelling, surely one of Campania’s greatest reds from non-indigenous varieties. Tasted May 2024.
95 Villa Matilde Falerno del Massico Rosso Camarato 2016
The top aglianico-based red blend in the Villa Matilde portfolio, with usually 20% or less piedirosso, from the vineyard of the same name. This has an extra degree of polish and obvious wood influence, great structure, firm but not unyielding, and balanced acids. I like the breadth and depth of flavour – this drinks like a serious super Tuscan. 15hl/ha, 2-3000 bottles/year. 50 year old vines on average. Aged in barrique and tonneaux, melting in nicely. I’d say this works really well in the context of Italian crus. Drink or hold into the mid-2030s. Tasted May 2024.
94 CUOMO MARISA Costa d’Amalfi Furore Rosso Riserva DOP 2020
A serious and expressive wine, ripe, with marked wet clay-like aromatics alongside sweet black and even blue fruit, and gentle wood spice on display. The palate is a medium-full-bodied, a real mouthful of wine with big structure, both firm tannins and vibrant acids, framing very ripe, almost jammy-desiccated fruit. I really like the balance, the mix of savouriness and fruit, the Mediterranean feel, salinity and complexity. Lovely wine, best 2026-2036 or so. Tasted May 2024.
93 Fattoria La Rivolta Beneventano Rosso IGP Simbiosi 2019
Limited production, made from 20% steel-aged piedirosso, and later-harvested, barrique-aged aglianico (the same must that goes into the aglianico riserva). The intention was to make a more modern, international-style wine, first produced in 2015. Wood influence is evident off the top, with sweet oak spice, and lots of ripe, dark fruit character, verging on the dried spectrum. The palate is broad and thick, relatively supple, with massive immediate appeal. A more modern expression, an American-made style, a perfect steak house wine. C. 300 cases made. Tasted May 2024.
91 SAMMARCO ETTORE Costa d’Amalfi Ravello Rosso Riserva DOP Selva delle Monache 2019
A blend of aglianico and piedirosso, Sammarco’s Selva delle Monache 2019 Ravello Rosso Riserva is ripe and tonic, with orange citrus peel and wild herb aromatics, lightly reductive, still surprisingly reserved 6 years in, also tightly wound on the palate. Tannins are quite hard, firmed up further by tart acids, while dusty oak influence, like cacao powder, lingers on the finish. It’s an ambitious wine no doubt, but balance is awkward – one wonders whether the texture will soften before the fruit fully fades. Decant and serve with salty protein in any case. Tasted May 2024.
90 Salvatore Martusciello Gragano dell Penisola Sorrentina Otto Uve 2023
A slightly spritzy wine by definition, the only such DOC in southern Italy. Gragnano was always a new wine, ready to drink in By San Martino day on November 12th, “the wine of the people of Naples”, says Martusciello. It was very famous in the past in the times of Bourbon occupation. Salvatore Martusciello was instrumental in bringing the wine style back from the brink of extinction, starting from 1992. It’s a blend of about eight (otto) varieties, such as piedirosso, aglianico, Sciascinoso, supezza, castagnere, uva sabato, olivella, and others. It’s just a joyful and fruity wine, gently sparkling, dry, with fresh black raspberry and sweet black cherry fruit, candied, sweet-sour, savoury-fruity simple but so easy to drink – un vino pericoloso. A cooking wine, to drink while BBQing, or making pizzas. Tasted May 2024
90 CASA SETARO Lacryma Christi del Vesuvio DOP Munazei Rosso Bio 2023
Lovely aromatics, floral-fruity, with sweet Mediterranean herbs. Palate is medium-bodied, well structured, with firm tannins and acids nicely balanced. Fine range of flavours, appealingly gritty and saline in the volcanic style. Well done. Tasted May 2024.
90 CASA SETARO Lacryma Christi del Vesuvio Rosso Riserva DOP Don Vincenzo 2019
Nicely developing aromatics here, with fruit turning towards the dried spectrum, displaying leather, dried herbs, scorched earth and more in an expression that appears to be at peak. Tannins are still firm and acids sharp, though I’d suggest drinking now with salty protein to soften the texture and still enjoy some of the fruit. Definitely salty and gritty. Tasted May 2024.
Other Reds
93 Michele Alois Casavecchia di Ponteleone Riserva DOC Trebulanum 2017
Trebulanum is the Latin version of Trifolium, which is Osco, the ancient pre-Roman dialect. In the case of Alois’s Riserva, it refers to a single vineyard casavecchia (the grape), aged two years in 25hl cask. The 2017 is evolving, very herbal and spicy, and complex, while the palate is firm, savoury, with such a broad and wide range of flavours, lots of torque, and great depth and length. This is a truly singular red, not easy or even necessarily widely appealing, but for the deep wine loving crowd. “I don’t think our wines are leaning towards fruit”, says Alois in one of the wine world’s greatest understatements. Tasted May 2024.
91 VIGNE CHIGI Terre del Volturno Casavecchia IGP Casavecchia 2022
One of the rare native, very low yielding red varieties of Caserta province, this Casavecchia is deeply coloured and clearly very ripe, made in what could be called a modern style, clean and as fruity as it comes, juicy and lively. Tannins are well managed, sleek and covered in black raspberry and black cherry fruit extract. Length and depth are very good. I have to say, a highly attractive example, best 2026-2030+. Tasted May 2024.
90 SCARAMUZZO Terre del Volturno Casavecchia IGP Violabianca 2022
Really attractive aromatics off the top here; deeply and darkly fruity with sweet wood spice and gentle herbal notes – complexity is high. The palate is juicy and well structured, also well balanced, grippy in the varietal style, while length is very good. Solid representation, best from 2026 I’d say – give the tannins time to subside. Tasted May 2024.
Sparkling
94 Feudi di San Gregorio Extra Brut Dubl Esse Metodo Classico Dosaggio Zero 2015
Disgorged in November 2023, after eight years on the less, zero dosage. Terrific complexity here on the nose, toasty but still also quite fruity, with mainly tart red fruit, also herbal in the varietal category. Excellent length, creamy, brioche strawberry cream flavours; the acids are comfortable despite the zero sugar added. Tasted May 2024.
94 Feudi di San Gregorio Brut Dubl Edition II Rosato Metodo Classico NV
Mattia Vezzola now consults on San Gregorio’s ambitious sparkling wine program following the great work of champenois Anselme Selosse. The Dubl Rosato is produced from aglianico grown in the Taurasi zone and aged 30 months on the lees. It presents fine, tart red fruit aromatics with subtle toasty autolytic notes, a discreet and restrained wine overall. The palate offers terrific sapidity and salinity, great balance and length. This is excellent sparkling wine, full stop, surely one of the finest from southern Italy. Tasted May 2024.
93 SAN SALVATORE 1988 Brut Rosè Metodo Classico Gioì Extreme 2020
An aglianico-based traditional method sparkling wine from the Cilento area with very pale colour, this is a fine and toasty example with lots of autolytic character on display alongside fresh-tart red fruit and dried herb. The palate is brisk and dry, with crunchy acids consuming what little dosage this was given. Flavours develop nicely across the palate and length and depth are excellent. High quality bubbles to be sure. Tasted May 2024.
92 Feudi di San Gregorio Brut Dubl Edition II Brut NV
Pure greco from Tufo at 550m above sea level. 24 months on lees. 5.5 grams dosage. Fine and refined aromatics, lightly toasty, diffuse citrus fruit character, complex and long on the palate. Sophisticated and refined, held in place by crunchy acids, barely balanced by the sugar. For austere sparkling drinkers, certainly very brut. Tasted May 2024.
92 Feudi di San Gregorio Brut Dubl Esse Brut 2015
“Esse” is made from Greco grown in the Tufo area, the same as for the Dubl “Edition”, but given longer on the lees, 7 years, disgorged in 2022 with zero dosage. Discreet, still very fresh nose, with light citrus and not as much toasty character as one might expect from spending so long sur lie. Acids are tangy, very high, which could keep this going another decade I’m sure. An austere expression for wine lovers, uncompromising. Tasted May 2024.
92 Villa Matilde Mata Metodo Classico Brut Rosé NV
Maria Ida (Avallone) + Tani = Mata. Pure aglianico mostly from Roccamonfina, 8 years on the lees. Mata is the wine that leads off every tasting at Villa Matilde, and the bubbles are fine. I love the very refined palate, with great acids and marked sapidity, and very dry and crisp finish. Delicate and pure, tart red fruit flavours dominate, while length and depth are excellent. A remarkable wine all in all, far above expectations, very elegant. Tasted May 2024.
91 Casa Setaro Vesuvio Pietrafumante Caprettone Spumante Metodo Classico Brut Nature 2019
The Brut Nature (dossaggio zero) spends longer on the lees compared to Setaro’s Pietrafumante brut, 48 vs. 30 months, but it’s made from the same base wine. Bubbles are still quite large, and fruit really has faded away in favour of smoky, caramelized/crystallized lemon, tonic and botanical, like wild fennel and camomile, clean, subtle and discreet. Acids have plenty of torque and the dryness verges on austerity. A curious and original combination of minerals and herbs; certainly works up the appetite. Tasted May 2024.
91 SAN SALVATORE 1988 Rosè Metodo Classico Gioì Dosage Zero 2020
Very pale, almost gris-like colour – this must be given very short skin contact considering the deeply coloured skins of aglianico used to produce it. San Salvatore makes a brut version in addition to this zero dosage, a wine for fans of more severe and austere, bone dry bubbles. I find that the few grams of sugar added to the brut really changes the aromatic profile, bringing out more toasty character, fruit, and varietal herbal flavours, while this remains tightly wound and unyielding. The length and depth are still excellent, and the bubbles very refined, and while this is a high-quality spumante to be sure, I’d opt for the more comfortable balance of the brut. Tasted May 2024.
91 Ocone Taburno Sannio Rosato Brut Alalunga NV
A pure aglianico sparkling rosato in the closed tank method with 9 grams of residual sugar, brut, delivering extreme herbal aromatics, lavender, oregano, thyme, also a touch of smoked meat, cumin and dried flowers in the varietal idiom – complexity is impressive, and fruit intensity is low, happily. The extra couple of grams of sugar really helps the aromatics relative to the blanc de noirs version, as does the brief skin contact. The palate is nicely balanced and savoury, with solid length and depth. Really good stuff for the money, serious Charmat. Tasted May 2024.
90 Salvatore Martusciello Asprinio d’Aversa Trentapioli Metodo Martinotti Vignetti ad Alberata 2022
Grown in the classic way of Aversa, which is to say with vines trained up Poplar trees, up to 12 meters high, the way the Romans used to grow these vines – every farmer’s son gets their own tailor-made ladder to harvest the grapes, a “scalillo” (from scala, “ladder”), with spacing between rungs measured to fit the user. Only a handful of such ‘vineyards’ remain in production, with currently about a dozen producers making wine under the Asprinio d’Aversa DOC. Martusciello’s parcel is near the sea in a very windy place, where treatments are almost unnecessary. Asprinio is the highest acid grape in southern Italy. This is the 2022 vintage, though not legally able to write this on the label. Comes across as a tart and green apple-flavoured bubbles. Acids are sky high and the palate is bone dry and crunchy despite 5.4 grams of rs, washed away by the acids. A serious “blade” of a wine, served locally with mozzarella, deep fried vegetables and zucchini flowers, and raw fish for example. Really interesting stuff. 11.5% alcohol, 7.8 acids. Tasted May 2024
90 Casa Setaro Vesuvio Pietrafumante Caprettone Spumante Metodo Classico Brut 2021
The Pietrafumante (“smoking stone”) cuvée is pure caprettone, “I think it’s the white grape that best harmonizes with its environment, polydynamic, from sparkling to barrel aged”, enthuses Massimo Setaro. This spent 30 months on the lees. Large bubbles, a little rustic initially; clean and stony, with delicate citric fruit and fresh green herbs, sweet and savoury. Crunchy acids are balanced by just under 6 grams dosage. Nicely sapid and saline. Good length. Price would be tough, but the wine is nice. Tasted May 2024.
Fiano
93 Donnachiara Fiano di Avellino DOCG Esoterico 2023
A single vineyard selection from grapes grown around the winery in Montefalcione, certified organic. Much more interesting on the nose than the classic Avellino, more herbal, resinous, with green fruit flavours, also better density and depth, and extract on the palate, still far from prime. This has real life and concentration and good length. Safe but also good, the top in the selection range. Try after 2026. Tasted May 2024.
92 Tenuta del Meriggio Fiano di Avellino DOCG 2022
From purchased vineyards in Candida (40 years old) and Montefalcione (a mix of younger vines planted in 2013, and existing vineyards 25 years old). Aged exclusively in steel, and this shows stony-flinty sulfury aromatics, also herbal notes, bay and other resinous character. Medium-bodied, well-structured palate, balanced acids-alcohol. Sulfites seem a little high – give it another year to settle in bottle and flesh out. Quality is very good overall – should evolve beautifully, if the 2015 tasted at the same time is any indication. 13.5%Tasted May 2024.
92 Feudi di San Gregorio Fiano di Avellino Riserva DOCG Pietracalda 2022
Only this riserva-level fiano will be made at Feudi as of this year (2024), produced from vineyards just below the winery and aged exclusively in stainless steel. Fine and delicate nose, floral in the varietal style, featuring citrus and citrus blossom, delicate, green apple. The palate is fresh but relatively soft and polished, sleek and seamless, creamy up front but undergirded by fine acids. Long finish. Polished. Drink or hold. Tasted May 2024.
92 Villa Matilde Fiano di Avellino Montelapio Tenuta Pietrafusa 2023
From the estate formerly known as Altavilla, now Pietrafusa, but the high quality wine derived from these vines in the commune of Lapio remains unchanged. The ’23 is clear, clean, fresh, with lots of fruit, not a reductive style, but neither oxidative, riding a fine line, very inviting. Green apple, lemon-lime, with sweet green herb, tarragon and licorice aromas and flavours lead. The palate is firm and grippy, nicely sapid and saline. Very good length. Be sure to carafe if serving now. Quality wine. Tasted May 2024.
91 Cavalier Pepe Fiano di Avellino Riserva DOCG Brancato 2022
From Lapio. Fermented and aged 30% in barrique, the rest in stainless. Be sure to give this some air as the initial wood wears off and the herbal character, like lavender and wild fennel, comes through; acids are really high and the texture is a little severe, not to say austere. Fruit is low. I’d suggest another 2-3 years minimum in bottle to come around – should develop slowly but very well. Tasted May 2024.
91 Fattoria La Rivolta Fiano Taburno Sannio DOC 2022
A refined and elegant fiano, already showing some honeyed character alongside its almond and apple blossoms. Well-balanced, particularly sapid palate with distinctive salinity, creamy-fresh acids and moderate alcohol, 12.5% declared. Very comfortable wines from Rivolta, appealing to a broad audience from casual imbibers to serious wine drinkers. Tasted May 2024.
Greco
95 FERRARA BENITO Greco di Tufo DOCG Vigna Cicogna 2023
Ferrara’s top greco, the 2023 Vigna Cicogna offers attractive aromatics, herbal and fruity, stony and tonic, with terrific balance on the palate. Tannins meld into the fruit extract, shaped and formed by comfortably vibrant acids. Terrific salinity on the long finish. Top notch. Best 2025-2033. Tasted May 2024.
95 Tenuta del Meriggio Greco di Tufo Riserva DOCG Colli dei Lauri 2020
From Contrada Laure in San Paolino di Tufo, this is fermented and aged in stainless steel aside from a small percentage in barriques, with long ageing on the lees. The 2020 was just bottled, and presents a deeper colour, harvested two weeks later on average than Meriggio’s ‘normal’ greco, from the higher sections of the vineyard. Gorgeous nose: herbal, sweet fruit, bay leaf, and fruit from orange to quince to yellow and green plum – so much happening here. Very sapid, salty palate, wow, what an explosion of flavour, with such succulent acids and tremendous length. A top-notch example, best from 2026. Tasted May 2024.
95 Feudi di San Gregorio Greco di Tufo Riserva DOCG Goleto 2020
Goleto is the name of an abbey about 30kms from the winery, though this is produced from vineyards in Tufo on top of the sulfur mines near the town. It’s the only exception to the stainless only rule for Feudi whites, here aged in tonneaux and amphora. 2020 is the current vintage and has a gorgeous set of aromatics, with a lovely mix of oxidative and reductive character in perfect balance and harmony; wood is almost undetectable. White-fleshed orchard fruit, sweet herbs and citrus peel-pith tonic flavours lead. The palate is broad, salty, so complex and saline. Excellent length. A stunner of a greco. Drinking perfectly now, or hold another 2-6 years? Tasted May 2024.
94 PIETRACUPA Campania Greco IGP 2022
A serious example here, with a touch of lactic oxidation, but ample fruity and savoury flavours compensating and balancing, as well as a marked streak of wet stones. The palate delivers a raft of flavour, concentrated and dense, with fine, tightly wound tannins and acids, and excellent length. Superior wines, best from 2026. Tasted May 2024.
94 COLLI DI LAPIO Greco di Tufo DOCG Alexandros 2023
An intense and stony greco, with terrific complexity on display even at this embryonic stage of development, clearly concentrated above the mean. The palate is palpably and positively tannic, framed by tightly wound acids, but it appears that there’s more than enough extract to see this through to full integration. A prime example of why greco is often described as the, “most red of the white grapes” – blindfolded this could pass for a lighter red to be sure. Best from 2027, and hold late into the ’40s. Tasted May 2024.
93 Vadiaperti-TRAERTE Campania Greco IGP Fuori limite – Le vecchie vigne 2020
This excellent greco is produced from just eleven rows of vineyards planted by the Troisi family over seventy years ago (“Vecchie Vigne”) in Montefredane, just outside the boundaries of the Greco di Tufo DOCG (hence the name “Fuori Limite”, meaning “outside the limit”). The 2020 is developing attractively with its old riesling-diesel, hydrocarbon aromatics, yellow fruit, lightly caramelized lemon and more. The palate shows real old vine density and excellent length. A serious wine, still a few years away from prime I’d suggest, try after 2027 for the full experience. Wonderfully saline and sapid. Tasted May 2024.
93 Tenuta del Meriggio Greco di Tufo DOCG 2022
From the commune of Tufo, including some 80 year-old vines on pergola on clay slopes so steep and slippery that workers are tied to a repelling line for all hand work, and a portion from Santa Paolina (planted in 2010, plus old vines now approaching 40). All stainless steel. Love the stoniness allied to green fig and yellow plum, fresh quince and loquats on this greco, with bright acids and chewy, notably tannic palate – structure is exceptional overall, as is length. A terrifically stony wine, very representative, best after 2025 – needs time to integrate. 13%. Tasted May 2024.
93 LE OTTO TERRE Greco di Tufo Riserva DOP 888 2021
Attractive, nicely integrated nose, an uncommonly fruity-floral example of greco, also appealingly rounded and generous on the palate. Tannins have subsided while acids remain lively, and length is excellent. Good palate presence and fine development, even if another decade lies ahead. Tasted May 2024.
93 Fattoria La Rivolta Greco Taburno Sannio DOP 2018
Looks like a skin fermented white, such is the deep orange gold colour, and smells like old Hunter Valley semillon, or old riesling: hot buttered toast, diesel, dried orange-yellow fruit. There’s lots of life still on the palate, held in place by terrific acids, comfortable but high to be sure, and also salinity. Caramel, nutty flavours linger, as though it were aged in wood. Really interesting and worth a look – these top Campanian whites have remarkable ageing potential. Tasted May 2024.
Falanghina
94 AGNANUM Campania Falanghina IGP Sabbia Vulcanica NV
An open, oxidative, exotic style of falanghina from the small estate of Agnanum, well within the natural wine spectrum, with strong volcanic minerality, salinity, length and depth. There’s a lot going on here, orange peel and exotic spice, honey, dried flowers, dried apricot and peach, hugely original and complex. Great length. Singular, but give it a chance. Tasted May 2024.
93 Masseria Felicia Falerno del Massico Bianco Anthologia 2018
Pure falanghina given a 24-day, pre-fermentation cold soak. The 2018 has reached a lovely level of maturity, featuring golden peaches and raisins, honey and orange blossom, lemon custard and crème brulée without the caramelized sugar, cuccuzielli fiorilli (zucchini flowers) and more – so many things going on here. Rich and almost fat on the palate, it might have cloyed were it not for the crunchy acids supporting the underside, also the lick of saltiness that reins in the billowing, maturing fruit. Excellent length. A real tour de force. Drink or continue to hold short term. Tasted May 2024.
93 Fontanavecchia Taburno Falanghina del Sannio DOP Libero Vendemmia Tardiva “B” 2020
Part of a series of 3 premium falanghinas from Fontanavecchia, from different soils and elevations, all from vines 10 to 20 years old, and all vinified the same way; this bottling is called “B” after the village of Bonea from where the grapes hail, on the west side of Taburno, with volcanic tuff soils at c. 250m asl. It’s fermented in new wood, then transferred into steel for ageing, and is the most aromatically interesting initially, with intriguing vegetal-botanical notes, lightly sulfury and nose tingling, herbal-minty, with discreet yellow fruit accompaniment. The palate is medium-full bodied, with distinct salinity and potassium rush, and that creamy-sharp dialogue. Very good length. The highest alcohol of the trilogy, 14.5%. Really impressive wine, drink now-2030. 6g acid. 3.1pH. 3,333 bottles made. Tasted May 2024.
93 Fontanavecchia Taburno Falanghina del Sannio DOP Libero Vendemmia Tardiva “T” 2020
Part of a series of 3 premium falanghinas from Fontanavecchia, from different soils and elevations, all from vines 10 to 20 years old, and all vinified the same way, “T” stands for Torecuso where the winery is located, at 300 to 450m asl on steep slopes, principally calcareous-marly-clays. It’s tight and citric on the nose, more green than the other two ‘single village’ falanghinas from Fontanavecchia, also notably minty-vegetal with green olive character and saltwater-soaked wild herbs. The palate shows fine energy and tension, also the highest acids, juicy and succulent. 6.4 3.05 pH. Tasted May 2024.
92 RADICIVIVE Campania Falanghina IGP Madama 891 2023
Clean, subtle, floral, herbal, lively and pure – this is an attractive wine from Radicivive, all yellow fruit and white flowers, acacia honey and sweet green herbs. The palate is mid-weight and properly sharp, with the expected sapidity and salinity of the region. Very good length. Tasted May 2024.
92 Salvatore Martusciello Campi Flegrei Falanghina DOP Sette Vulcani 2023
Named for the 7 main volcanoes around the Bay of Naples and Campi Flegrei, Sette Vulcani is made from pure falanghina flegrea (different from the falanghina grown in other parts of Campania) gown on own roots. It’s fermented and aged exclusively in stainless steel only to yield a clean, fresh, flinty, very pretty, white and yellow flower, wild herb and green olive-inflected wine, a savoury garden of goodness, with green apple and citric fruit as well. The palate is tart and sapid, lean and light-bodied but packed with flavour, with high acids, bone dry; length and depth are impressive. Electric. C. 15,000 bottles produced yearly on average. Lovely stuff. Tasted May 2024.
92 Mustilli Falanghina del Sannio Vigna Segreta Sant’Agata dei Goti 2022
Pure falanghina beneventana from a one hectare vineyard planted in 2000. Vinified in steel; in some years it undergoes spontaneous fermentation, depending on the condition of the grapes, but in 2022, the must was inoculated. Discreet aromatics include white orchard fruit and citrus, wet stones, less aromatically explosive than some examples (not a bad thing), bright and clean. Good length. Lots of appeal and drinkability, with fairly generous 13.5% alcohol. Tasted May 2024.
92 ROSSOVERMIGLIO Falanghina del Sannio DOP 2022
Pale colour but advanced aromas, this 2022 falanghina is already shifting to honeyed, nutty flavours, with complex, leesy-reductive notes, the sort of wine that draws you back repeatedly to discover new flavours. The palate is broad and balanced, focused on crunchy acids, with caramelized lime finish that lingers impressively. Well worth discovering over the next 2-3 years. Tasted May 2024.
White Blends
94 CUOMO MARISA Costa d’Amalfi Furore Bianco DOP Fiorduva 2022
An all-local blend of rarities 30% fenile, 30% ginestra, and 40% ripoli from the Amalfi Coast, this is a very pretty wine off the top with appealing grapefruity reduction lemon-lime and wet stones, no obvious wood influence despite 3 months barrel ageing, and simmering underlying complexity that develops with air. The palate offers considerable depth and breadth, and structure, with high intensity and excellent length. A really beautiful expression. Drink or hold until the end of the decade. Tasted May 2024.
93 SAMMARCO ETTORE Costa d’Amalfi Ravello Bianco DOP Selva delle Monache 2023
A blend of mainly biancolella with falanghina, Sammarco’s 2023 Ravello Bianco pours a very pale straw, offering delicate aromatics, clean and immediately attractive, featuring fresh wild fennel, tarragon, fresh lime and lemon, a beautiful expression of this stunning coast and its steep terraced vineyards. I like the grip on the palate, the savoury-tart acids that draw saliva and induce desire for additional sips. Highly sapid and saline. Let settle another year or two, and enjoy late into the decade or even into the ’30s. Tasted May 2024.
92 Monserrato 1973 IGP Campania Bianco Murate di Sopra 2023
Founded in 1973 by Francesco Zecchina, Monserrato 1973 is a family-run organic farm located on the hills around Benevento in the Sannio DOC. Murate di Sopra is an equal parts fiano-falanghina blend, aged in French barriques of which about 20% new wood, no malo. Slightly cloudy, in the minimal intervention Monserrato style. Open and lively, oak is not marked on the nose, rather yellow fruit and florals dominate, with appealing resinous herbal flavours, lavender, rosemary, thyme, and lemon peel, and honeyed character. The palate is rich, medium-full, with good substance and depth, well balanced with lots of energy. I like the natural feel and the layered texture, also the precision and cleanliness. Complex – this is the best white at Monserratto 1973, which makes one wonder why more producers aren’t crafting high end white blends from indigenous varieties. A very promising line of inquiry I’d say. (Tank sample; provisional score.) Tasted May 2024.
92 FATTORIA LA RIVOLTA Beneventano Bianco IGP Sogno di Rivolta Bio 2021
A blend of falanghina, fiano and greco, The Sogno di Rivolta 2021 offers a clean, lovely set of aromatics with ripe citrus-orange notes, creamsicle, white and yellow orchard fruit and a touch of brioche – attractive, complex, fresh and well made, showing slow development. The palate is broad and grippy with tannins in evidence (greco?), revealing more floral character. Length and depth are excellent. A serious blend; best from 2025-2026 – this will age nicely. Tasted May 2024.
92 MONTEVETRANO Campania Bianco IGP Core Bianco 2023
A fiano-greco blend. Pale yellow; good depth and concentration off the top, with piercing lemony-citrus aromas and wet stones, fresh green fruit and citrus blossom, and more, The palate picks up the intensity and complexity further, with breadth and power on display, and excellent persistence. Acids are crisp and crunchy and alcohol well integrated. I’d suggest another year or two in bottle to further develop. Tasted May 2024.
92 SAMMARCO ETTORE Costa d’Amalfi Ravello Bianco DOP Vigna Grotta Piana 2023
Sammarco’s more ambitious wood-aged Ravello Bianco, oak spice is marked for now on the 2023, but will hopefully integrate in time. The palate shows excellent substance and loads of white-fleshed orchard fruit framed by sweet-blond caramel, vanilla and custard cream. Tough to get past the oak for now; try again in 2-3 years. Personally I prefer the oak free Selva delle Monache, though this is still easily in the premium category. Tasted May 2024.
90 SORRENTINO VINI Lacryma Christi del Vesuvio Bianco Superiore DOP Vigna Lapillo 2021
Still notably pale in colour and fresh on the nose, I like the stoniness and the reserved citrus fruit flavours. The palate is balanced with a little bit of grit and grip in the volcanic style, with fully integrated alcohol and fine, lingering finish. Fine quality overall, well made, a very minerally example. Tasted May 2024.
Other Whites
95 Michele Alois Terre del Volturno IGT Morrone Pallagrello Bianco Area dei Monti Trebulanum Terreno Calcareo 2018
2018 is the current release of the single vineyard Morrone, a 4ha parcel split evenly between the varieties pallagrello bianco and nero, planted in calcareous soils at 350 m above the volcanic plains of Volturno. The pH is intriguingly always lower in pallagrello from volcanic soils at lower elevations, on average about 3.1 pH compared to 3.4. And ahh, now we’re talking: beautiful, smoky, highly mineral, fresh green fruit, fresh hay, camomile, mountain wildflowers, yellow fruit, terrific complexity. I love the texture here, still with that bit of reduction. It has resolved its earlier astringency beautifully, melting into the ensemble. Gorgeous, glossy wine. Drinking beautifully now. Tasted May 2024.
94 CASA D’AMBRA Ischia Biancolella DOP Tenuta Frassitelli 2023
D’Ambra’s cru version of Biancolella, the Frassitelli 2023, from the spectacular vineyard of the same name over looking the sea, is a beautiful wine, delicate in flavour yet powerful in depth, with superb length and concertation without heaviness. Flavours range from tart to ripe citrus, sweet and resinous herbs, wild white flowers and wet stones, perfumed but not exaggerated. A top notch Campanian white to be sure, drinking well even now, but surely better in 1-2 years. Holding into the early ’30s would not be a stretch. Tasted May 2024.
92 CANTINA DI LISANDRO Terre del Volturno Pallagrello Bianco IGP Lancella 2023
Fine, clean, fresh and fruity aromatics, with some grapefruit-reduction to add interest to the stony aspect. The palate is mid-weight, fleshy and substantially flavoured, with very good to excellent length and depth overall. A very fine example, best from 2026. Tasted May 2024.
92 CASA D’AMBRA Ischia Biancolella DOP 2023
Pale and delicate colour and aromatics, fine and refined, stony and herbal in the Mediterranean style, also floral, with wild broom notes (ginestra). The palate is light but with surprising depth of flavour for such a delicate frame, with a finish that lingers beautifully. Refined and fine in the D’Ambra house style – really like the finesse here and the saline-volcanic character subtly on display. Tasted May 2024.
92 CASA D’AMBRA Ischia Forastera DOP 2023
I like the nose immediately; a floral-spicy-herbal-grapefruity expression that draws you in with its complexity. It has more tannic grip than D’Ambra’s biancolellas, one could say a little more rusticity, but that’s relative, as all of this estate’s wines show delicacy and refinement. Appley-citrus fruit round out the palate. Very good length. Best now-2030. Tasted May 2024.
91 Casa Setaro Vesuvio 61 – 37 Contradae Vesuvio Bianco DOP 2021
This was the first single contrada wine made on Vesuvius, from the contrada Bosco del Monaco, but this information could not legally be written on the label, at least not yet. “61-37” is a bit of a complicated insider’s code: 61 in a Neapolitan dream numerology means forest (bosco), and 37 means monk (monaco), as this is from the lower part of Bosco del Monaco (“monk’s forest”) vineyard on the contrada of the same name. It’s mainly caprettone, with fiano and greco, all ancient, 80+ year-old vines aged for a year on lees in steel. And it smells really fine, refined, quite marvellously complex, the most polished, perfumed and fruity wine in the Casa Setaro portfolio. It offers an extra degree of elegance and back end drive; the saltiness is less pronounced than in other cuvées and it is closer to the limestone-influenced side of the volcano, but very good all the same, with great length and just a lick of acetic acid starting to creep in. Drink or hold 2-4 years. Tasted May 2024.
90 Tenuta del Meriggio Coda di Volpe Irpinia DOC 2022
From vineyards in front of the winery, 1.2ha, planted in 2010, the year Meriggio was established. Aged 9 months on fine lees in steel. Ripe and powerful on the nose, open, fresh but not reductive, white, green and yellow fruit, an attractive mix, with blossoms and sweet grass. The palate is round and creamy with soft but not languid acids and a moderate 13% alcohol. Yields must be kept strictly controlled with the variety – up to 30 tons per hectare, or 3 kilos/bunch is possible with coda di volpe – but here yields are kept to about 8 tons/hectare. I like the natural feel without deviation, the seamless texture. It’s a stony example of coda, more serious than the mean, with lovely grapefruit-citrus flavours lingering on the palate. Top notch, to be enjoyed over the next couple of years. 10k bottles made. Tasted May 2024.
89 Fattoria La Rivolta Coda di Volpe Taburno Sannio DOC 2022
Fresh, floral, aromatic, honeydew melon and apple blossom-scented with green apple – very pretty, neither reductive nor oxidative, a fine milieu. I like the gentle palate, the moderate acids, the lingering, now gently leesy finish. A very friendly wine, ready to enjoy. Tasted May 2024.
89 CANTINE OLIVELLA Catalanesca del Monte Somma IGP Summa 2022
Catalanesca is a rare grape from Spain (Catalonia), originally classified as a table grape in Italy, though thanks mainly to Olivella’s lobbying, has been given wine grape status. This 2022 features candied lemon drop-pastille aromas initially, joined by a marked salinity on the palate and gentle tannic grip with a touch of bitterness. Length and depth are good, if not outstanding, and considering the evolution already showing, I’d enjoy over the nearer term, 1-2 years, if not now. Tasted May 2024.
89 Michele Alois Terre del Volturno IGT Caiatì Pallagrello Bianco 2023
The “Colline Caiatine” where this grows are the last gasp of the Apennine mountains as they fade into the hills towards Benevento. Pallagrello Bianco is the easiest to grow and the highest yielding of Alois’s three native varieties, compared to pallagrello nero and casavecchia. It needs to reach full phenolic ripeness to yield interesting wine, and in these volcanic soils at 150m asl. it reaches a pH of 3.4 with less than 5 grams of acids, quite low in relative terms compared to other Campanian whites but the grape can’t be harvested early with any success. Soft press and free run juice only (the rest goes to Alois’s second line). It’s inoculated with neutral yeasts, and given a 25-30 day fermentation at 12-14C to yield green apple and cherry blossoms flavours, gentle lees, and sweet herbs that emerge with air in a more Mediterranean expression. The palate is gentle and soft, with creamy texture and lowish acids, perhaps closer to Fiano than greco to give a comparative. A more gentle wine in any case, ready to enjoy or hold short term. 13.5% alcohol. Tasted May 2024.
Back Vintages Worth Tracking Down
Red
96 Villa Matilde Falerno del Massico Rosso Camarato 2006
“Wow, really lovely savoury aromatics, evolving, spicy, earthy, with licorice, fennel seed – I love the mix of the piedirosso spice and leather, and the dried flowers and pot pourri of aglianico with plenty of fruit still left on display. Complexity is superb. A really fine wine, drinking beautifully now. Tasted May 2024.
95 Fontanavecchia Aglianico del Taburno Riserva DOCG Grave Mora 2012
A selection of grape mainly from vineyards around the winery in Torrecuso, made in top vintages (next vintage: 2017), Grave Mora is late harvested after some appassimento (drying) of bunches on the plant. This massive wine is declared at 15% alcohol, a big, dense, plush and full, complex example built to impress, with loads of complexity – it’s like a savoury cousin to Amarone, and it’s remarkably well balanced and still amazingly youthful. A huge mouthful of wine, which impresses even disbelievers in dried grape wines like me. The alcohol is so well integrated. Impressive stuff, drinking now or hold into the early ’30s. Tasted May 2024.
95 Cavalier Pepe Taurasi Riserva DOCG La Loggia del Cavalliere 2013
Cavalier Pepe’s top Taurasi the 2013 Loggia del Cavaliere delivers a raft of sweet red berries-strawberries, alongside dried mint and wild herbs, complex and appealing and yet still fruity, but it’s really the lovely texture – silky firm – that draws one in. Excellent depth and amplitude, and length. Fruit remains, but texture has evolved beautifully. Drinking so well now. Tasted May 2024.
91 Salvatore Martusciello Campi Flegrei Piedirosso Sette Vulcani 2016
Mature and fully savoury, with dried porcini and savoury wild resinous herbs in an intriguing and complex expression. The palate is well balanced, still a bit grippy, but brought into line by juicy acids. This works beautifully in the end, the best of the broad Martusciello range tasted today for current enjoyment. Tasted May 2024
90 Cantina Astroni Campi Flegrei Piedirosso Colle Rontondella 2022
A year in bottle really helps piedirosso, and this wine in particular, showing its whole bunch spice character (20%). I like the sharp-tart red fruit, the crunchy acids, the moderate, 12% alcohol. Lovely, bright, fresh. All red strawberry and cherry flavours. Chill and drink over the near term. Tasted May 2024.
White
94 Donnachiara Greco di Tufo 2009
Hot, honeyed buttered toast, like the 2007 Fiano, diesel and truffle, like old riesling, an odd greco in terms of technical numbers. Loads of flavour on the palate, however, big structure, concentrated and dense, lower acid, higher pH than the norm. Excellent length. A real tour de force in old vintage Campanian whites. Tasted May 2024.
93 Mustilli Falanghina del Sannio Vigna Segreta Sant’Agata dei Goti 2019
Mustilli’s top falanghina, the Vigne Segreta is spontaneously fermented in part from a pied de cuve. The 2019 offers great aromatics, developing beautifully. I love the combination of cream and curd, lemons and salt, white pepper; savoury herbs creep in. I love the texture on the palate, the extra layers of flavour here are impressive. Broad and fullish, and drinking beautifully now. Tasted May 2024.
93 Tenuta del Meriggio Greco di Tufo Riserva DOCG Colli dei Lauri 2018
2018 was the first vintage of Meriggio’s riserva, produced from vineyards in Contrada Laure in San Paolino di Tufo, fermented and aged in stainless steel aside from a small percentage in barriques with long ageing on the lees. It’s showing maturity with its sweet blond caramel and dried herbs, honey and caramelized orange flavours, yet still grippy on the palate. Oak is more prevalent than the on the current vintage 2020 (all barriques were new as it was the first vintage), and alcohol is warming. Air brings out more fruit and harmonizes the wood influence – decant if serving now. I think it should continue to age well for another few years, stretching possibly to 2030, but why wait. Tasted May 2024.
93 Cavalier Pepe Fiano di Avellino Riserva DOCG Brancato 2019
From vineyards in the commune of Lapio, considered the birthplace and top sector for Fiano. Fine aromatics here, with the expected finesse of fiano shifting into the diesel-hydrocarbon direction, with complexity developing well. Creamy-fresh palate, great texture, excellent complexity. Excellent length, a well balanced vintage. Pasta with porcini and tartufo. Tasted May 2024.
93 Fattoria La Rivolta Fiano Taburno Sannio DOC 2018
2018: considered a good, balanced vintage. Showing brilliantly now, approaching or at peak I’d say, with its lovely honeyed nose, the nuttiness, and the emergence of the diesel-TDN notes common in the variety when aged. The palate is lovely, round and beautifully saline and saliva inducing with fresh hay and camomile, lees character building to brioche. But it’s the vibrancy on the palate that really impresses. Tasted May 2024.
92 Cantina Astroni Campi Flegri Falanghina Vigna Astroni 2015
2015 was considered a hot vintage in the Campi Flegrei, similar to 2019. Showing some gold colouring, but not too much evolution on the nose, still citric, notably smoky-flinty, mineral, like all of Astroni’s wines. I like the direction this has taken, with very impressive complexity. I like the creaminess on the palate, sapid and saline, moving slowly, with no signs of oxidation, drinking beautifully now, with excellent length. Very volcanic to be sure. Harvested into October. Tasted May 2024.
92 Villa Matilde Falerno del Massico Bianco Vigna Caracci 2008
One of the last vintages of this wine that was partly aged in oak, but the idea has always been to reflect ancient techniques, like amphora use. (The 2008 is still commercially available.) Deep amber gold colour, looks like Tokaji Aszú. Very evolved, not to say oxidized, this is all dried fruit, roasted, caramelized, also toasted nuts and more in a fully mature expression. More fruit is pulled out on the palate, and there, also dried herbs, though not as botanical as falanghina from the Naples area. Curiously it gains freshness with air in the glass. Past prime for my tastes, but this will have many fans no doubt. My, how this changes with time in the glass, gaining in exotic spice, cumin and dried camomile, marzipan, toffee, seaweed. Give this some air after opening – it will surprise. Tasted May 2024.
91 Donnachiara Fiano di Avellino DOCG 2013
All stainless. Curiously reductive nose, smoky-vegetal, diesel, creamy and buttery, with smoky depth and good concentration, and caramel notes which could lead one to think this had been aged in oak. Length is excellent. There seems to be more character and concentration than the current classic line, and this is showing well now. Tasted May 2024.
89 Cavalier Pepe Coda di Volpe Irpinia DOC Bianco di Bellona 2012
Surprisingly fresh and stony, not showing much age, remarkable for a dozen year-old white wine from southern Italy. The palate is creamy-sharp, with yellow fruit flavours, fresh cream, citrus-lemon custard. Very interesting – I would not have expected this to age so positively. Tasted May 2024.
That’s all for this special report. See you over the next bottle.
John Szabo, MS