I love this wine. I was rummaging around various piles of bottles trying to find something to drink, and I came across this. It was a total surprise: vital, complex, beguiling and multidimensional.

It’s the ‘Gaia’ Fiano from Cantina Giardino. This winery started in 1997 as a joint venture shared among six friends, who wanted to do something with the small parcels of old vines that were scattered across the higher parts of Campania. The Cantina Giardino as a commercial venture began in 2003, and now they make some 24 000 bottles a year.

This wine is made from on old vineyard (40-70 year old vines) grown on clay/limestone soils with a volcanic cap. The grapes spend 4 days on skins and are then pressed to large acacia and chestnut barrels. After 3 months on lees the wine then goes to old 600 litre barrels, and is bottled without fining or filtration. The policy here is to use very little or no sulfur dioxide, depending on the wine.

Cantina Giardino Fino ‘Gaia’ 2010 Campania, Italy
Full, ever so slightly cloudy yellow colour. Fine, expressive nose of baked apple, lemons, fine spices, wax and flowers. So pretty and bright. The palate is rich and textured with mouthfilling nutty, spicy, lemony fruit and keen acidity. It’s hard to describe, so intense are the flavours. It’s sweet and saline, but fully dry. Very mineral and taut with a bit of grip, and some apricot and stone characters. Life enhancing and thrilling. Distinctive but beautiful. 95/100

UK agent: Tutto Wines

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