Cantine I Favati Greco di Tufo Terrantica 2014
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Winemaker Notes
The I Favati winery has been recognized as one of the outstanding Italian producers of fine wines and grappa. Passion, and a culture of good wine, are a tradition that has been carried on by this great family since the early decades of the last century. Located in Irpinia, famous for its beauty, its rich volcanic soil, and its wine, the company is expertly managed by winemaker Rosanna Petrozziello, her husband Giancarlo Favati, her brother-in-law Piersabino Favati, and daughter Carla Giusy Favati. This dynamic family, along with enotechnico, Vincenzo Mercurio, handle every aspect of this family business, managing the vineyards, the harvest, the production and marketing.
Their vineyards are located within the Fiano di Avellino, Greco di Tufo and Taurasi DOCG zones. All together they have 16 hectares of Irpinia’s unique, indigenous, grape varieties. The cellar is equipped with the most advanced winemaking technology, complementing the careful work in the vineyards. Rosanna oversees each stage of the process assuring the best outcome of each cycle to guarantee the high quality of all wines produced.
Up the hill, just a few steps from the cellar, is their cozy hotel – Villa Carolina I Favati. It overlooks the lovely Piazza Di Donato in the small community of Cesinali. This is the perfect spot for a wine-country vacation or an overnight stay in the heart of Irpinia. There you will also find the tasting room and wine shop of I Favati.
A late-ripening, medium-bodied variety from Campania, Greco delivers a relatively high acidity and flaunts an invigorating mineral character alongside fresh citrus, stone fruitand herb flavors. Somm Secret—The name Tufo comes from the soft, volcanic rock found all over in the subsoil of the region where Greco thrives.
A winemaking renaissance is underfoot in Campania as more and more small, artisan and family-run wineries redefine their style with vineyard improvements and cellar upgrades. The region boasts a cool Mediterranean climate with extreme coastal, as well as high elevation mountain terroirs. It is cooler than one might expect in Campania; the region usually sees some of the last harvest dates in Italy.
Just south of Mount Vesuvio, the volcanic and sandy soils create aromatic and fresh reds based on Piedirosso and whites, made from Coda di Volpe and Falanghina. Both reds and whites go by the name, Lacryma Christi, meaning the "tears of Christ." South of Mount Vesuvio, along the Amalfi Coast, the white varieties of Falanghina and Biancolella make fresh, flirty, mineral-driven whites, and the red Piedirosso and Sciasinoso vines, which cling to steeply terraced coastlines, make snappy and ripe red wines.
Farther inland, as hills become mountains, the limestone soil of Irpinia supports the whites Fiano di Avellino, Falanghina and Greco di Tufo as well as the most-respected red of the south, Aglianico. Here the best and most age-worthy examples come from Taurasi.
Farther north and inland near the city of Benevento, the Taburno region also produces Aglianico of note—called Aglianico del Taburno—on alluvial soils. While not boasting the same heft as Taurasi, these are also reliable components of any cellar.