Joaquin Montefalcione – Campania

Raffaele Pagano founded his Joaquin winery on a mission: to become the flag bearer for the great wines of Campania – the Fiano & Aglianico. Located in Montefalcione, home to the two DOCG wines, Fiano di Avellino and Aglianico Taurasi, he started with a meticulous study and selection of antique, pre-phylloxera vineyards in the area of Lapio and Montefalcione, known as the habitat of origin of the varieties. In fact, Raffaele has worked tirelessly to reach vinous expressions that are the quintessence of the historic local terroirs.

The Vino Della Stella Fiano is from an incredible plot of old vines and is abundant with aromas of bay leaves, majoram, saffron and apricot. The Piante a Lapio Fiano is a truly unique wine. Made from 100 year old vines located in the recognised Grand Cru for the variety (and yet one that is still a poly-culture where vines share the hills with all manner of crops, scrub and woods), it spends 60 days under flor and then is aged in 500 litre acacia, oak and chestnut casks – it almost defies a tasting note. There is a savoury edge which leads to vibrant and refreshing finish. The 110 Ostrica B.O. Greco spends one month on its skins and offers a palate rich in dried fruit, walnuts and sweet spice. The flagship red, the Taurasi Riserva Della Societa is an uncompromising wine from a mesmerising vineyard of high trained 200 year old vines. Pitiful yields require superhuman efforts to coax them from the vineyard’s dotage. This priceless fruit spends 2 years in displaying all the noble attributes of great Aglianico – tobacco & spice intermingle with dark red fruit, nuances of violets, bark and juniper. This is a wine for contemplation. The Viaggatori Aglianico comes from an early picked portion of fruit from this vineyard, fermented and aged completely in stainless steel it is a rare taste of the flavours and personality of ancient vines. Joaquin also craft wines on the beautiful island of Capri. Here they perform what Raffaele likes to call “triage viticulture” : the recovery of indigenous varieties and the restoration of small, local vineyards. In fact, the project and its wine Joaquin dall Isola (Joaquin from the island) strives to safeguard the few vines left on the island with varietals like Greco, Falanghina, Biancolella and the local “Ciunchesa” (an antique clone of Greco).