2021 Tenuta I Fauri Pecorino

TRE BICCHIERI WINNER 2023!! Ranked #305 out of over 18,000 wines reviewed by the Gambero Rosso, who called it "Absolutely superb." This is a big deal in Italian wine- they never talk about scores other than from the Gambero Rosso!

100% Pecorino, all done in stainless steel. Fresh acidity is balanced out by a beautifully textured wine with notes of fresh yellow apples, under-ripe tropical fruit and fresh notes of mint. A saline-mineral finish shows length and cleans the palate. 

This third generation family owned winery in the Chieti hills has won Slow Food and Gambero Rosso awards. Valentina di Camillo and her brother Luigi now manage all operations and marketing at Tenuta I Fauri. In addition to having wines made from the well known Montepulciano and Trebbiano grapes, they also produce white wines from Pecorino and Passerina grapes. Although these grapes are not well recognized internationally, the family utilizes them as homage to their region’s agricultural history as well as because of their suitability to local soils. ‘Pecorino’ is also the word for cheese made from sheep’s milk. Valentina explained the local lore: “During migrations from the mountain to the coast, the sheep ate these grapes, so a relationship formed between both.”

Tenuta i Fauri winery is located in the heart of the province of Chieti, between the Maiella mountains to the Adriatic sea.  32 hectares of land, 28 of them under vine, located in in 6 different communes: Chieti, Francavilla al Mare, Miglianico, Ari, Bucchianico and Villamagna.  The mountains comprise mostly sandy soils (more than 60%), and i Fauri farms organically.  Spontaneous ferments and low levels of SO2.  They are focused on native grapes varietals: Trebbiano, Passerina, Pecorino, Montepulciano. They have 14 old cement tanks, inherited from grandfather Luigi, recently restored, then also new stainless-steel fermenters and few wooden barrels.