Ciro Picariello has quickly become one of the star producers of Fiano di Avellino. He and his wife started their winery back in 1997, but their first vintage under their own label was not until 2004. Their 12 hectares of vineyards are located at relatively high elevation in the province of Campania, divided between the villages of Montefredane (1,600 feet above sea level) and Summonte (2,100 feet).
The harvest for the Fiano occurs in late October, very late for white wine. The grapes are hand-picked and carefully sorted and then pressed slowly with only the first press fraction used in the DOCG Fiano. The wines are then fermented with indigenous yeasts in stainless tanks. The Fiano is aged on its fine lees for an extended period between 11-12 months (plus several months more in bottle before release), with the Irpinia Fiano slightly shorter, 7-8 months. Use of SO2 is minimal; the wines are not filtered nor fined.
The flagship white is the Ciro 906 bottling of Fiano made from a single parcel (#906 on the official Avellino map) at 650 meters in elevation. This parcel has their oldest vines, the first planted by Ciro back in 1990. This wine is not produced every year, only in colder vintages with more acidity. It stayes 12 months on the lees in steel followed by 18 months in the bottle before release.
