Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 76

YEAR'S BEST
SOUTHERN ITALY

(W&S 10/16) § Artisan Wines, Norwalk, CT;
North Berkeley Imports, Berkeley, CA
212908

Our blind panels tasted 461 new-release wines from Southern Italy over the past 12
months. Stephanie Johnson, our critic for Italian wines, rated 68 as exceptional (90+)
and 20 as Best Buys. Find a complete list of wines tasted at wineandspiritsmagazine.com.

S PA RK L I N G
220515

92 | Murgo

$42

2009 Extra Brut Metodo Classico ^ Nerello
mascalese grapes harvested from the slopes
of Sicily's Mount Etna form the basis for this
extra brut. It feels rich and dry at once, with
flavors of golden apple and pear cushioned
by toasty notes picked up during five years of
lees contact. Refreshing acidity cuts through
those rich flavors, brightened by a stream of
salinity. § North Berkeley Imports, Berkeley, CA
220514

91 | Murgo

$30

2013 Brut Rosé Metodo Classico ^ Made
from nerello mascalese, this wine gained
its delicate salmon color from 24 hours of
skin contact. Notes of warm baked bread
lend richness to the flavors of tangy strawberry and cherry accented by tangerine-zest
pithiness. It's refreshing and versatile. § North
Berkeley Imports, Berkeley, CA

W HI T E
C A M PA N I A
220522

94 | Vadiaperti

$38

2015 Fiano di Avellino Aipierti ^ Raffaele
Troisi's single-vineyard fiano offers a complex
array of flavors in a dense, chewy texture. It
feels reticent at first, requiring exposure to
air before flavors of ripe peach and yellow
plum emerge, but this wine is more about
smoke and salt than fruit. A current of salinity complements the wine's brisk acidity as
the flavors turn toward notes of green olive,
blanched almond and smoked pork rind. The
contrasting flavors begin to harmonize over
several days, suggesting a long life ahead. It
would be fascinating to cellar a case of this
wine and experience its evolution over the
next decade. Even so, it's delicious now if
decanted and served with pork shoulder. §
North Berkeley Imports, Berkeley, CA
212909

94 | Vadiaperti

$38

2014 Fiano di Avellino Aipierti ^ Raffaele
Troisi took over his family's farm in Montefredane in 1984, and now bottles six wines
76

WINE & SPIRITS

JUNE 2017

from 24 acres of fiano, greco and coda di
volpe vines. He vinifies everything in stainless steel without extended skin or lees contact, resulting in wines that show tremendous
textural depth and crystalline purity of flavor
that's more about smoke and salinity than
fruit. Of his 2014s, this fiano was a standout,
pulled from a steep slope of vines averaging
30 to 35 years of age. It's richly textured, the
apple and lemon notes accented by smoke
and herbal tea, yet what takes center stage is
the intense salinity. The core of bright acidity
promises that this will age well over the next
decade. W&S editor Josh Greene dubbed it
"the chenin of Italy," and its waxy, dense texture and savory flavors would make a delicious match for roast pork with mostarda.
(W&S 10/16) § Artisan Wines, Norwalk, CT;
North Berkeley Imports, Berkeley, CA
220521

93 | Vadiaperti

$36

92 | Clelia Romano

$28

2014 Irpinia Torama Coda di Volpe ^
Planted 40 to 60 years ago, the sandstone
and limestone soils of the Torama vineyard
produced an intense coda di volpe in 2014.
It's so briny and savory it brings to mind Fino
Sherry, with notes of green almond, olive and
cured Serrano ham. Lemony acidity channels
the flavors in an upward direction, the smoky
and salty flavors weaving together in an elegant, energetic white that's ready for grilled
polpo. (W&S 10/16) § Artisan Wines, Norwalk,
CT; North Berkeley Imports, Berkeley, CA
221296
2015 Fiano di Avellino Colli di Lapio ^
Mouthwatering acidity coexists with honeyed
richness in this dense and lively fiano. Notes
of dried basil and oregano swirl through the
wine's flavors of crisp apple and white peach,
lending an herbal tone that complements the
hint of white smoke. Balanced and elegant,
it's a versatile partner for seafood or poultry. §
Michael Skurnik Wines, NY

$38

2015 Irpinia Torama Coda di Volpe ^ Troisi
harvests fruit for Torama from 40- to 60-yearold coda di volpe vines, the oldest in his vineyards. Like all of his cru-level wines, Torama
offers briny and savory flavors before revealing its fruit, here offering ripe golden apple
and a spray of lemon zest. A cool, wet-stone
minerality streams through the wine, brightening the flavors as they pick up notes of ginger and green olive. A couple of years in the
cellar will knit the intense flavors together
more fully and make the wine a great partner for sea bass with a lemon, olive and caper
sauce. § Artisan Wines, Norwalk, CT; North
Berkeley Imports, Berkeley, CA
212905

93 | Vadiaperti

$22

2014 Fiano di Avellino (Best Buy) ^ Troisi's
basic fiano is less intense than his singlevineyard Aipierti (also reviewed here), yet it's
also terrifically impressive. Delicate scents of
orange blossom and bee pollen give way to
flavors of fresh apple, pear and lemon that
take on a honeyed richness with air, developing notes of salted almonds and nori that add
a savory character. A stream of salinity runs
through the dense, waxy texture and gives
direction to the rich fruit flavors, bringing
them to an energetic and refreshing finish.

220524

92 | Vadiaperti

$22

92 | Vadiaperti

$18

2015 Fiano di Avellino (Best Buy) ^ Troisi's
basic fiano is more rounded and juicy than
his single-cru Aipierti (recommended here,
too), making it accessible now for a range of
seafood and poultry dishes. Delicate scents of
honeysuckle and fresh white mushroom lead
into flavors of golden apple and warm spiced
applesauce. Mouthwatering acidity perks up
the fleshy fruit flavors, picking up a salty tang
in the finish. § Artisan Wines, Norwalk, CT;
North Berkeley Imports, Berkeley, CA
220526
2015 Irpinia Coda di Volpe (Best Buy) ^ One
of our tasters compared this wine's green
fruit tones and chiseled minerality to a young
ribolla gialla. Its subtle smoky notes weave
through flavors of apricot and kiwi, picking
up scents of ginger and lemongrass as the
wine opens. Notes of bee pollen lend a honeyed richness to the texture that's balanced

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Wine & Spirits - June 2017