Notify me
2017 Fiano di Avellino “Vigna della Congregazione”
Villa Diamante
This tiny property is perched high on the lush, green mountainsides inland of Naples, where the Fiano grape becomes a noble instrument for expressing the subtle nuances of great Campanian terroir. Now run by the fierce mother-daughter duo of Diamante and Serena Gaita, Villa Diamante is a historic estate whose stunningly fresh, gloriously perfumed old vintages have made a serious case for Fiano di Avellino as one of Italy’s premier white wine appellations. While their 2017 abounds with immediate charm in the form of luscious fruit and wild herbs, something magical happens with bottle age—hold some for a few years to see the nose veer toward salted butter, hazelnuts, petrol, and smoke.
—Anthony Lynch
Wine Type: | white |
Vintage: | 2017 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Fiano |
Appellation: | Fiano di Avellino |
Country: | Italy |
Region: | Campania |
Producer: | Villa Diamante |
Winemaker: | Antoine Gaita |
Vineyard: | Planted 1983-1996, 3 ha |
Soil: | Clay, Limestone |
Aging: | Ages 12 months on its lees in stainless steel tanks |
Alcohol: | 13% |
More from this Producer or Region

2017 Taurasi
Italy | Campania
A dense and chiseled Aglianico from old vines at elevation.

About The Producer
Villa Diamante
About The Region
Campania
Campania enjoys an ancient history as a fine wine producer—in fact, its precious nectars were highly coveted in ancient Rome and received accolades from many important writers of the era, including Pliny the Elder. While winemaking here dates back to the first Greek settlers to colonize the countryside, Campania is now enjoying a wine renaissance, as small farmers are relying less and less on the co-ops that dominated the scene for decades and increasingly turning to estate-bottling to make a living and capture the richness their territory has to offer.
The Mediterranean coastline, with bustling Napoli and towering Vesuvio as its focal point, is home to a number of light, simple wines from indigenous grape varieties, often planted in sandy volcanic soils. But Campania’s viticultural heartland lies further inland, in the Irpinia region around Avellino: this mountainous terrain offers altitude and limestone soils where the noble Aglianico, Fiano, and Greco are capable of producing what are arguably some of southern Italy’s most complex, characterful, and often age-worthy reds and whites.
The increasing number of artisanal producers bottling their own wine caught our eye several years ago, and today we count one Campanian grower among our ranks. With its deep winemaking traditions—not to mention world-famous specialties like mozzarella di bufala and pizza napoletana—we will undoubtedly return soon.
More from Campania or Italy
2016 Venezia Giulia Malvasia “Selezione”
Kante Italy | Friuli
2021 Isola Dei Nuraghi Bianco “Prama Dorada”
Deperu Holler Italy | Sardinia
2017 Brunello di Montalcino
Ferretti Italy | Tuscany
Prosecco Superiore Brut Magnum
Sommariva Italy | Veneto
2017 Laboro Disobedient
A. & G. Fantino Italy | Piedmont
2017 Barolo Bussia Riserva “Cascina Dardi”
Alessandro e Gian Natale Fantino Italy | Piedmont
2018 Brunello di Montalcino
Sesti Italy | Tuscany
Prosecco Superiore Brut
Sommariva Italy | Veneto
2023 Südtirol Eisacktaler Kerner
Manni Nössing Italy | Alto Adige
2022 Etna Rosso “Contrada Friera”
Vigneti Vecchio Italy | Sicily
2017 Taurasi
Terre del Vescovo Italy | Campania
2019 Eloro Nero d’Avola “Sciavè”
Riofavara Italy | Sicily
2016 Venezia Giulia Malvasia “Selezione”
Kante Italy | Friuli
2021 Isola Dei Nuraghi Bianco “Prama Dorada”
Deperu Holler Italy | Sardinia
2017 Brunello di Montalcino
Ferretti Italy | Tuscany
Prosecco Superiore Brut Magnum
Sommariva Italy | Veneto
2017 Laboro Disobedient
A. & G. Fantino Italy | Piedmont
2017 Barolo Bussia Riserva “Cascina Dardi”
Alessandro e Gian Natale Fantino Italy | Piedmont
2018 Brunello di Montalcino
Sesti Italy | Tuscany
Prosecco Superiore Brut
Sommariva Italy | Veneto
2023 Südtirol Eisacktaler Kerner
Manni Nössing Italy | Alto Adige
2022 Etna Rosso “Contrada Friera”
Vigneti Vecchio Italy | Sicily
2017 Taurasi
Terre del Vescovo Italy | Campania
2019 Eloro Nero d’Avola “Sciavè”
Riofavara Italy | Sicily
Where the newsletter started

Where the newsletter started
Every three or four months I would send my clients a cheaply made list of my inventory, but it began to dawn on me that business did not pick up afterwards. It occurred to me that my clientele might not know what Château Grillet is, either. One month in 1974 I had an especially esoteric collection of wines arriving, so I decided to put a short explanation about each wine into my price list, to try and let my clients know what to expect when they uncorked a bottle. The day after I mailed that brochure, people showed up at the shop, and that is how these little propaganda pieces for fine wine were born.—Kermit Lynch