Quintodecimo, from Burgundy to the Campanian land

In Italy it is often thought that white wines do not have the same importance as the great reds that have now become famous worldwide, yet there are realities that prove the contrary and bring their excellent products to light with great acclaim, such as the cantina Quintodecimo.

Quintodecimo is the ancient name of Mirabella Eclano, precisely because the place is 15 miles from Benevento.
The estate is managed by Luigi Moio and his wife Laura, both passionate about their work and proud of what they have created to this day.

Mr. Luigi is a great researcher who knows everything about the chemical-physical components of wine, so much so that he teaches scientific wine research and olfactology at the University of Naples. He spent 5 years of his life in Dijon in Burgundy where, confined to a laboratory, he deepened his knowledge of the chemistry of aromas and learned the importance of "Terroir", which has long been fundamental in France.

Upon his return to Italy, in addition to working as a winemaker at the family estate, he continued his studies at the University of Naples and in the meantime also published his work and collaborated with other winemakers and cantinas, among which Feudi di S. Gregorio.

Throughout the nineties he was never idle, and his consultancies and collaborations were numerous, among which we can mention those with Marisa Cuomo, Maffini, Caggiano, Villa Matilde, Cantine del Tabuno.
For Professor Moio, the moment came to think about his own estate, to fulfill the dream he had always kept close: a vineyard of his own, with a house where he could live with his family.

The opportunity arose after a careful search for land that had to meet precise criteria: being located in an area with a perfect microclimate, soil rich in mineral skeleton and surrounded by greenery.

The search bore fruit and that long-sought place was found in Irpinia, specifically in Mirabella d'Eclano, where after all the necessary analyses, he and his wife Laura gave birth to what would become the azienda Quintodecimo.

Naturally, the professor devoted enormous energy to his estate and immediately imposed his philosophy: to position the winery in the medium-to-high market segment, the grapes must be traditional varieties, and the wine must reflect its territorial identity, thanks to careful attention to detail and cleanliness in the cantina.
Thus, from this land situated in the midst of the three Docg Campane Greco di Tufo, Fiano di Avellino and Taurasi, were born the wines of Quintodecimo: Terra d'Eclano, Taurasi Riserva Quintodecimo, the Cru Vigna del Grande Cerzito, "Via del Campo" from Falanghina grapes, L'Exultet from Fiano grapes, and finally Giallo d'Arles from Greco grapes.

The reds are undoubtedly wines of excellent craftsmanship and quality, rich in aromas, structure and elegance, ensuring longevity, but the real surprise is the white wines, which, thanks to the soil, take on a beautiful minerality and sapidity, along with interesting aromatic notes of fruits and flowers – naturally in relation to the grape variety and the vintages – yet they are wines that manage to stir emotions sip after sip.

For details on the tasting notes I will write about them in a forthcoming article.
With regard to the planting layout, the vineyards are situated at an altitude between 460 and 490 m above sea level where there are significant temperature variations between day and night, there is great respect for eco-sustainability, and there is no use of herbicides or chemical fertilizers.

It is important to know that Quintodecimo's vineyards participate in the European research project for sustainability, and continuous monitoring with special equipment is carried out on both the vines and the soils.

Here then is an Italian reality rich in typicity, terroir, knowledge and tradition.
Congratulations to the Moio family.