Wine of the Week - Laissez-Faire Fiano
So much to enjoy here… a French name, an Italian grape, an Australian producer, a delicious wine. ‘Laissez Faire’ is a fabulous, foodie Fiano from the fantastic Larry Cherubino. Tom, one of our very favourite suppliers, who some of you will know, kindly sent us a bottle to try a week or so ago. We finally got round to tasting it, and we are very pleased we did so too.
Fiano is a white varietal from the south of Italy (we’ve featured it recently once before), most notably grown in Campania. Crisp and dry, aromatic and refreshing, it is a historic variety of some pedigree (it even made Roman scholar Pliny the Elder’s noted works on grapes, allegedly…), Fiano is a grape variety that flourishes in the right terroir and in the right hands.
Luckily, in Larry Cherubino, there are few finer pairs of hands in the winemaking business. An award winning producer many times over, Cherubino makes some of the very best wines that come out of his home state of Western Australia.
Laissez Faire reflects his approach to wine making, with the emphasis on minimal intervention in the vineyard, allowing the grapes in harmony with the right combination of soil and climate to do their thing. Fiano grapes from the Great Southern region are hand picked and whole bunch pressed before partial fermentation in French oak and barrel ageing.
The trademark Fiano bone dry finish is in evidence, so too the aforementioned oak ageing and the subtle toasty, spicy notes. Quince, lemon, peach and lemon curd are here too, while the wine’s acidity is lengthy, taut and textured. A delight to enjoy on its own, we threw together one of our favourite suppers to pair it with. Melted Golden Cenarth on a bed of oven baked tomatoes served with torn hunks of fresh, crusty bread.
