Cantine Settesoli (Italy) Mandrarossa Fiano 2006
I am a huge fan of the wines of Fiano di Avellino, an appellation in Campania on the Italian mainland, that are full of limpid, honeyed fruit, with wonderful clarity. This version of the Fiano grape comes from the island of Sicily, and, having already taken a gold medal at the International Wine Challenge 2007, it has just been named as ‘Great Value White Wine of the Year’. It has a typically fresh, appetising yet rich nose, with succulent pear and ripe, fragrant melon and that little touch of buttery weight. On the palate this is quite a powerful wine, with a real full, mouth-filling waxiness and textural weight. It is a more forceful and concentrated style than some other Fianos I’ve enjoyed, with a grippy, skin-contact intensity, but that fragrant, summery quality of the variety comes through nicely. I still feel I may prefer some of the more delicate renditions of this grape’s style, but an undeniably delicious and interesting wine. 5.99 – 6.99, D’Vino , The Wine Society, Valvona & Crolla, Noel Young, Cambridge Wine Merchants.
