Italiano
The strength of Clelia Romano and her Fiano Colli di Lapio
The small winery in Colli di Lapio wins you over for its sincerity, dedication and quality.
I first tasted Fiano di Avellino di Colli Lapio, Clelia Romano, in 1998 on the advice of a classmate during my second year studying with the Italian Sommeliers’ Association (AIS). It was love at first sip. I was impressed by the depth of its aroma and flavor and by its strength – the acidity – which always demanded another sip. It was a vintage 1996, which was considered an exceptional year in Italy and France. Clelia had only ventured into the world of wine lovers for a few years (the Romano family had grown grapes for generations) and her Fiano represented a new direction for the Irpinia white, focusing more on its acidity and freshness rather the roundness and sweetness consumers had been accustomed to.
This Colli di Lapio also help discover the small town of the same name as an ideal location for winegrowing. This thanks to its cool, dry and ventilated climate that allowed the wines to best exploit the rapport between the varietal and territory, providing personality and elegance, long life and typicity. Although it has just 1,700 inhabitants, Lapio can boast two DOCG classified wines: Fiano di Avellino and Taurasi.
Aside from Lapio, Clelia Romano also has vineyards in Scarpone, Arianiello (home to the winery’s headquarters) and Stazzone, all situated at altitudes between 500 and 55m above sea level. Aside from Fiano, she also cultivates Greco and Aglianico. The small winery in Colli di Lapio wins you over for its sincerity, dedication and quality. The bottles I tasted during my visit to the winery confirmed – as if it were necessary – their reliability and the certainty that these wines need time to best express themselves. An example was the Fiano di Avellino 2011, a young, in fact very young, white in which the notes of acidity and freshness are accompanied by the cleanliness of its aromas.
Clelia today is assisted at the winery by her daughter Carmela and together they constitute the face and strength of Colli di Lapio.
Fiano di Avellino 2018
92/100 - € 14,00
Made in stainless steel from Fiano grapes. A straw-yellow color and scents of green apple, tomato leaf and citron that alternate with nuances of fresh hazelnut. The mouthfeel is fresh, taut and vertical, notably clean and persistent.
Fiano di Avellino 2017
92/100 - € 14,00
Made in stainless steel from Fiano grapes. A straw-yellow color and aromas of apricot, linden flower and grapefruit. The mouthfeel is decidedly fresh, vibrant and gratifying, harmonious and with a long aromatic persistence.
Fiano di Avellino 2011
93/100 - € 14,00
Made in stainless steel from Fiano grapes. A bright, straw-yellow color and explosive aroma of white flowers, citrus peel and oyster. The mouthfeel is saline and vertical with a distinct freshness, balanced and impeccably elegant.
