Fattoria La Rivolta

Benevento, Campania, Italy

“Fattoria la Rivolta is a leading estate in Benevento and one of my all-time favourite estates in Campania. Farming is organic, and the vines enjoy south or southeast exposures on calcareous clay soils on a gentle slope that leans toward the Calore River.”— Monica Larner, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate.

Last April I had the pleasure of tasting with nearly two-dozen carefully selected producers from Campania, spanning from the up-and-coming buzzworthy vignerons to canonical estates, and the decision where first to plant our flag was a difficult one. Campania is, in my estimation, the most exciting region in Italy right now, with its incredibly volcanic terroirs, its myth-infused history, and its host of unique indigenous varieties. It’s amazing to see this region finally getting the attention it deserves. The investment in the vineyards and the cellars is garnering investments of attention from critics, wine lovers, and sommeliers around the world.

In my research, the name Fattoria la Rivolta kept coming up again and again, from my Italian Wine Scholar textbooks to the trusty Ian d’Agata to the here-and-there younger sommeliers and tastemakers pointing their lens at Campania. Between D’Agata’s two extensively researched reference books, Native Wine Grapes of Italy (University of California Press, 2014) and Italy’s Native Wine Grape Terroirs (University of California Press, 2019), I found La Rivolta’s Aglianico, Piedirosso, Greco, and Coda di Volpe all earn listings as benchmark examples of their varieties and appellations. But this was true of many of the producers I met with, the great names still being so under-represented in Alberta. It was an embarrassment of riches, a smorgasbord of minerality. But it really crested for me when I met with Paolo Cotroneo and tasted his wines. I was overcome by their balance and beauty and classical rendering. Each wine felt like a textbook example of its variety and of Taburno, and each time I felt myself reaching for more, wishing I had several bottles of each on hand at all times, entertaining ideas of opening a wine bar just for Campanian wine and making any one of these my never-change house glass. Not only were they every bit as interesting as I had hoped, but they were also deeply pleasing wines. Moreover, their gorgeous presentation and surprisingly merciful prices also upended my expectations. In these wines, you can truly taste the fascinating hillside vineyards of Taburno, and at prices that make them just as easy to lay down for the future.

Fattoria La Rivolta, the ‘Farm of the Revolution!’, has been certified organic since 2001; family-owned and family farmed, it’s one of these deeply-rooted estates that exudes that quiet confidence of the of wines that reach back to 1812. With 60 hectares to their name, half is reserved for forest and polyfarming while Paolo farms 30 hectares of exceedingly healthy, handsome vines. The estate lies in the heart of Taburno, one of only three DOCG’s for Aglianico, the great pride of Campania and Basilicata. But one should not underestimate their other instruments: Fiano, Greco, Falanghina (Beneventana), Coda di Volpe, and the oh-so-delicate Piedirosso. Taburno, the inactive Volcano they are perched in the shadow of, boasts a much higher calcareous marl content compared to the rest of the very volcanic Campanian terroirs, and it is a touch warmer and drier, creating very poised wines with more varietal clarity shining through that volcanic minerality you find dominating the aromatics of other nearby appellations, in my opinion. Aglianico from Taburno specifically has this uniquely intense aroma of sweet pipe tobacco that grows with age. It’s beguiling. I swoooons.

Paolo is a masterful winemaker too. His cellar choices run the gamut from French oak barriques, large wooden casks, amphorae, and a massive bottle cellar for both new releases and reserve wines. But at the end of the day, it’s the fruit that does the dancing.