Description
Joaquin, Fiano di Avellino “Vino della Stella”
After tasting the wines of Joaquin and learning a little more about their maker, Raffaele Pagano, I couldn’t help thinking about Angelo Gaja. When, many years ago, Gaja began charging the same prices for his Barbarescos as great French Burgundy/Bordeaux producers charged for their wines, many people balked, even though he had every right to do so. The undeniable excellence of the wines bore him out. Up-and-coming vignaiolo Raffaele Pagano of Joaquin is charging white Burgundy prices for his Fianos from Avellino, and I’ve got to say, it’s a Gaja-esque, line-in-the-sand move that’s wholly justified.
I’ll be honest, I never thought I’d say such a thing about Italian white wine, but Joaquin’s deeply mineral, soulful Fiano represents a paradigm shift—a shift which, to be fair, involves a great number of producers beyond Pagano. There’s now a select group of Italian white grapes, and terroirs, that demand to be judged according to a new set of criteria, including being grouped among the greatest white wines of the world. In addition to being undeniably impressive on its face—I’d put this on a table next to top-tier Chablis/Sancerre/Austrian Grüner any day—today’s 2018 has a “Grand Cru” pedigree of its own, in the form of high-altitude, old-vine parcels in the village of Lapio. This is major. If you’re someone with a finger on the pulse of the Italian wine scene, this is a momentous occasion.
PLEASE NOTE: This limited wine is only available as a pre-offer. It will be arriving at our warehouse in 2-3 weeks. Maximum of six bottles per person.
Perhaps most important of all is that this Fiano isn’t about expensive oak barrels, a fancy bottle, or any other modern trappings. It’s a wine aiming for maximum terroir transparency, aged eight months on its lees in steel and fiberglass and sourced from 20+-year-old vines in chemical-free, “no till” vineyards. Pagano is a fourth-generation scion of a successful, Salerno-based winemaking family, but his Joaquin label—named for a Bourbon Dynasty family who advanced viticulture in Campania in 17th and 18th centuries—is a passion project of modest dimensions (1,500 total cases per year) and earnest ambitions. Hand-farmed, handmade wine from minuscule parcels is Pagano’s labor-intensive mission.
The village of Lapio, whose vineyards rise to altitudes of 600+ meters in soils that mix volcanic material with clay and limestone gravel, is known to some Italian wine aficionados thanks to the excellent Fianos of Clelia Romano, which cite the village prominently on their labels. Joaquin further cements the village’s reputation as the “grand cru” it is, perfectly suited to coax out the floral perfume that separates Fiano from so many aromatically neutral Italian whites. At the same time, Joaquin’s “Vino della Stella” has a Grüner Smaragd-like intensity and a palpable soil character reminiscent of Chablis. In this regard, it’s a departure from the more fruit-driven examples at the higher end of the market. It is unmistakably Fiano, but also unmistakably from somewhere.
In the glass, it displays a deep yellow, slight-copper hue and bursts forth with aromas of bruised pear, orange blossom, yellow peach, acacia honey, green herbs, citrus, wet rock, pine boughs, and a hint of smoke. Its fruit and earth components are precision balanced on the palate, which leans toward medium-plus in body and has some of the wet-stone “grip” of a great white Burgundy. It already has some bottle age but should respond well to a little more, although it’s drinking beautifully right now: Decant it about 15 minutes before serving in all-purpose stems at 50 degrees and allow it to creep up to cellar temperature to get the full effect. It’s a serious white for serious consideration, and it will pair beautifully with whatever ultra-fresh fish your local market has for you. My choice would be branzino, prepared according to the recipe attached. When it comes to Italian white wine, there’s a new sheriff in town—enjoy the moment!
