Lunch with Bruno de Conciliis and Wine from Campania
Lunch with Bruno de Conciliis from the costal Cilento region, south of Naples in Campania. 2009 Fiano Paestum "Donna Luna" Cilento DOC
Paestum is the main town of Cilento. Soft, neutral nose, floral and almonds. 18 hours of skin contact. Campanian cuisine is dominated by fish and vegetables. Bruno: "We will pair San Marzano tomatoes with this wines but always short cooking time, adding the oil, garlic, basil and salt at the end." Longer cooking of the tomatoes turns the San Marzanos into a red wine dish. 2010 Fiano Paestum "Donna Luna" Cilento DOC
More aromatic, very floral. 4-5 days of skin contact. More Sauvignon in character but lower acidity. The Fiano skin gives the flavor of goat cheese. Paired with seafood risotto. Texturally very nice but rice in the south is cooked with less or no "mantecato", the addition of dairy. "We don't grow rice but we have rice dishes and they are much lighter."Bruno: "I don't want to make perfect wines, I want to make wines with a lot of personality. We don't have soils with high expressiveness. Clay 70% plus sandstone." 2003 Fiano Paestum Antece
Bruno: "Because of our climate and low acid varieties, it is difficult to make a wine that will age a long time. My goal with Antece was to make a wine that will age with the help of skin tannins. In 03 and 04 I gave a lot of oxygen and aged in 3000 liter casks. "I do not want to make this kind of wine."2008 Fiano Paestum Antece
In 2008 I do same skin contact 12 days but in 500 liter tonneau. Only plunging, bottled unfiltered, less oxygenation. Much fresher, very aromatic. Very textural and delicious on the palate. 2004 Aglianico Paestum Naima
Naima: five vineyards, organically farmed. '04 was very fresh, considered by many to be a lesser vintage. Large harvest. '04 is fresher and more austere. Bruno: "the kind of wine I love." Bruno: Aglianico on the coast can be dry farmed; we have warmer temperatures in Cilento than inland. Very aromatic, spicy black fruit, round and delicious on the palate. Aglianico should be balsamico, not generous with fruit. We have rounder tannins with our Aglianico in Cilento. 2005 Aglianico Paestum Naima
Deeper, more cooked nose. Black fruit with some rasination. Licorice, anise seed, textural and delicious. 2004 Zero (100% Aglianico)
Single-vineyard, biodynamically farmed. Very deep, sweet black fruit. Bright, firm, very rich. Excellent density and richness. Lots of grip, higher alcohol. 2005 Zero (100% Aglianico)
15% alcohol. Bruno: "I wish I could make Mosel Kabinett but I am in Cilento. I want ripe grapes, ripe flavors and ripe tannins. I am looking for an answer to lower alcohol. Possibly higher yields, possibly, changing our leaf program to shade the fruit. We drink with ragu, deeply cooked San Marzanos, stuffed eggplants."Bruno: "Wine was considered food, energy, a way to preserve food for the winter. In Cilento, we traditionally had high alcohol wines and when the farmers did not want to get drunk, they would cut with water. These are high alcohol ny nature."
Paestum is the main town of Cilento. Soft, neutral nose, floral and almonds. 18 hours of skin contact. Campanian cuisine is dominated by fish and vegetables. Bruno: "We will pair San Marzano tomatoes with this wines but always short cooking time, adding the oil, garlic, basil and salt at the end." Longer cooking of the tomatoes turns the San Marzanos into a red wine dish. 2010 Fiano Paestum "Donna Luna" Cilento DOC
More aromatic, very floral. 4-5 days of skin contact. More Sauvignon in character but lower acidity. The Fiano skin gives the flavor of goat cheese. Paired with seafood risotto. Texturally very nice but rice in the south is cooked with less or no "mantecato", the addition of dairy. "We don't grow rice but we have rice dishes and they are much lighter."Bruno: "I don't want to make perfect wines, I want to make wines with a lot of personality. We don't have soils with high expressiveness. Clay 70% plus sandstone." 2003 Fiano Paestum Antece
Bruno: "Because of our climate and low acid varieties, it is difficult to make a wine that will age a long time. My goal with Antece was to make a wine that will age with the help of skin tannins. In 03 and 04 I gave a lot of oxygen and aged in 3000 liter casks. "I do not want to make this kind of wine."2008 Fiano Paestum Antece
In 2008 I do same skin contact 12 days but in 500 liter tonneau. Only plunging, bottled unfiltered, less oxygenation. Much fresher, very aromatic. Very textural and delicious on the palate. 2004 Aglianico Paestum Naima
Naima: five vineyards, organically farmed. '04 was very fresh, considered by many to be a lesser vintage. Large harvest. '04 is fresher and more austere. Bruno: "the kind of wine I love." Bruno: Aglianico on the coast can be dry farmed; we have warmer temperatures in Cilento than inland. Very aromatic, spicy black fruit, round and delicious on the palate. Aglianico should be balsamico, not generous with fruit. We have rounder tannins with our Aglianico in Cilento. 2005 Aglianico Paestum Naima
Deeper, more cooked nose. Black fruit with some rasination. Licorice, anise seed, textural and delicious. 2004 Zero (100% Aglianico)
Single-vineyard, biodynamically farmed. Very deep, sweet black fruit. Bright, firm, very rich. Excellent density and richness. Lots of grip, higher alcohol. 2005 Zero (100% Aglianico)
15% alcohol. Bruno: "I wish I could make Mosel Kabinett but I am in Cilento. I want ripe grapes, ripe flavors and ripe tannins. I am looking for an answer to lower alcohol. Possibly higher yields, possibly, changing our leaf program to shade the fruit. We drink with ragu, deeply cooked San Marzanos, stuffed eggplants."Bruno: "Wine was considered food, energy, a way to preserve food for the winter. In Cilento, we traditionally had high alcohol wines and when the farmers did not want to get drunk, they would cut with water. These are high alcohol ny nature."
