~ Luigi Moio and his wife, Laura run Quintodecimo ~
If Luigi Moio isn’t a name you recognize, that’s about to change.
In an area as prestigious as northeast Campania, there is no shortage of excellent Taurasi producers. However, the same cannot be said of Fiano. Often times these wines pose nothing more than run of the mill whites designed to wash down the various treasures of the sea that ends up on that night’s plate. And that’s ok. But a handful of producers have been elevating Fiano. And this article spotlights two of them.
~ Sloping vineyards of Quintodecimo in Autumn ~
Luigi Moio is part winemaker, part artist and part philosopher. When he walks his vineyards, he tends to think of himself as feeling absorbed – almost disappearing into the earth and becoming one with the environment. From here, he coaxes the vines to create his vision. The spiral vineyard pictured above is one such example.
The spiral vineyard was planted in 2001 when the estate was created. It is meant to invoke the “golden spiral” of the Fibonacci Sequence – a mathematical pattern embedded throughout nature. This design ties into Moio’s broader philosophy. The number 5, which is key in the Fibonacci Sequence, appears repeatedly in viticulture (e.g., the vine leaf’s five lobes, five critical production phases) and inspired the winery’s logo of five moons. As Moio explained it to me: “That vineyard is poetry meeting science to preserve and serve both the wine and the land.”
~ The Team at Quintodecimo. Clearly, the future generations are ready to carry on the family legacy ~
Quintodecimo is a family-owned winery located in Mirabella Eclano, in the heart of Campania. The estate was founded in 2001 by Luigi Moio, a renowned professor of enology at the University of Naples and a leading consultant on Campanian grapes and wines. It represents the realization of Luigi’s lifelong dream of creating wines that purely express their terroir.
Exultet is a sophisticated and elegant interpretation of Fiano di Avellino. It is a cru wine produced exclusively with the grapes from one Fiano vineyard. The wine takes it’s name from a famous old religious scroll called the “Exultet of Mirabella Eclano”. Exultets were special liturgical parchments created in southern Italy during the Middle Ages. They were made from long sheets of parchment (animal skin paper) sewn together into one continuous scroll that often bore artistic images of nature and religion. Moio chose this name to connect the wine to this piece of art and religious history.
~ This was an impressive wine, given the difficulty in the 2023 vintage ~
The 2023 Quintodecimo Exultet Fiano di Avellino is a medium straw colored wine. The nose of the wine is quite vibrant. Aromas of white peach, bright citrus notes like lemon and lemon grass and soft honey tones. On the palate, the intensity is wonderful, especially considering the difficulty of the vintage. The wine is crisp and fresh, but has a lovely viscosity. Flavors echo the aromas but there is an added streak of minerality that is gorgeous. This was an eye opening wine for me and it lead me to try the next vintage. Wonderful stuff. 91 points. Find this wine.
Next up was the 2024 Quintodecimo Exultet Fiano di Avellino. As much as I loved the 2023, this wine was even better. The details of the notes are almost identical, except on the nose this was more complex adding tropical notes like pineapple and guava. In the mouth, everything is amped up a notch. The freshness, minerality, the body, the flavors. This was a benchmark Fiano for me. In every sense of the word. Super wine. 95 points. Find this wine.
~ The 2024 has more of everything going on compared to 2023 ~
For both of these vintages, here are some technical details.
Grape: Fiano di Avellino 100%
Year of vineyard planting: 2004
Altitude: 570 meters ASL
Exposure: Southwest
Soil: Calcareous with Limestone
Winemaking: After a long pressing of the whole bunches, the free-run must, strictly protected from oxygen, it is separated from that of the press and clarified by natural sedimentation. Fermentation occurs for the 70% in stainless steel vats and 30% in new oak barriques.
From Quintodecimo, we pivot to another representation of Fiano. A completely different style and perspective on the grape. It was eye opening to compare the stylistic differences here. And the age of the wine made things interesting too.
Raffaele Pagano’s family thinks he’s crazy. After all, he eschewed guaranteed financial security from his family’s 2 million bottle per year operation to become a sort of break away maverick. He chose his own way. His own land. His own wines. Reputation be damned. Today, from a mere 3 hectares near Irpinia, he crafts wines from only two varietals, Fiano and Aglianico. The results speak for themselves.
~ Raffaele showing off one of his Taurasi ~
The 2019 Joaquin “Stella” Fiano di Avellino Riserva is an incredibly dark golden color – it appears almost like apple juice. The wine is sourced from a parcel smaller than 1 hectare where the vines area approaching almost 30 years of age. After pressing the wine spends at least 8 months on the fine lees in stainless steel without temperature control. It is then bottled and rested an additional 6-8 months before release.
The results are heady. The body is heavily viscous and marked by toasted biscuit, baked waffles and preserved citrus elements. There is a mark of petrol on the nose. I found this wine to be completely unique, well made for what it is and reflective of the far eastern terroir of Irpinia. But, it’s not for me. It’s creating a beast of a wine where there need not be one.
To that end I say, your mileage may vary. If you dig this style, have at it. 87-92 points depending on you. Find this wine.
~ This is a Riserva wine from a wonderful vintage. Complex in its style, but a unique breed of wine to be sure ~
Fiano is still relatively unknown outside of wine lovers circles. This has its benefits and drawbacks. The good is, there aren’t a whole lot of people looking for these wines – especially not at the higher end. The bad news is that they aren’t always easy to find. I’ve given you links above to an amazing retailer in North Carolina that operates almost exclusively online and ships nationally. Have a look and let me know what you think.
Salute!
