Roberto Di Meo is currently one of the best interpreters of Italian "bianchista" oenology. This is demonstrated by many wines, but the last one he let me taste is a real oenological case: a Fiano with a stay of almost thirty-one years on the lees.
Roberto Di Meo is the president of Assoenologi of Campania, owns a family winery near Avellino and produces excellent Fiano, Greco and Taurasi. This year we honored him as “winemaker of the year” on our Essential Guide and a couple of years ago his 2008 Greco di Tufo Vittorio was our “white wine of the year” with a stratospheric score.
Because Roberto is currently one of the best interpreters of the “bianchista” oenology Italian.
He manages to produce wines that age in steel, on fine lees, the
lies
, for years and years. He does so with a hyper-reduction technique, which has many risks but can yield resounding results. Denis Douburdieau, late professor of enology in Bordeaux, often spoke of “
complexité en reduction
“, Roberto Di Meo is perhaps the best interpreter in Italy of that style.
But this time he really went too far.
During a recent visit I made to his winery, he let me taste a Fiano, which will probably have no appellation, and which came from a steel tank of about 60 hectoliters. “
You won’t believe it, but
this wine has been on the lees since 1993
” he told me, smiling. “I taste it every week to check the evolution, now I would like to put it in the bottle just calling it 93. Just white wine, no appellation, also because it is so different from a typical Fiano di Avellino that it doesn’t seem right to make it“.
It had never occurred to me, except for some Champagne and various bubbles, to taste a wine that had had a stay of almost thirty-one years on the lees. Certainly no “still” wine.
It was unbelievable.
Still greenish color. Scents of extraordinary complexity, in which flint, herbs, even citrus and fresh almond notes alternated in the different olfactory moments. Saline flavor, not too tart (it has naturally gone through malolactic), very balanced and above all agile and very long. Alcohol content just above 12 degrees, ph at 3.50, acidity just below 6. Incredible integrity.
I think this is a real oenological “case” and should be analyzed by professionals and also by enthusiasts of great experience and equal curiosity. The word “outlier” in this case I think is appropriate to use.
When will it come out? In a few months. How much will it cost? Quite a lot, maybe around 300 euros. But, in my opinion, and after all that time, there they all stand.
