Although the Cianfagna estate has been a farm and in this family since 1860, the installation of a cellar only dates back to 1999 when the current generation - Vincenza Cianfagna - took control. He is an agronomist and takes great pride and great care of his vineyards. Molise is not famed for its wine production, which is quite small, but both the Tintilia and Aglianico grapes thrive at 500 metres and less than 20 miles from the sea. The altitude and exposure mean great diurnal temperature swings, which keeps freshness in the grapes and also provides excellent ventialtion for the vines. This means that disease pressure is naturally kept to a minimum and when present is simple to control. Vincenzo likes simplicity and his adherence to traditional methods is part of that. He does a lot of work in the vineyards so as to do very little in the cellar. And he doesn`t like consultants, so doesn`t use one. The results speak for themselves. (CW 08/02/18)