Sinfarosa - Manduria, Puglia
Primitivo was one of the leading players in the revival of Pugliese wine. It is modern in nature, and with its rich fruit and spicy tones, its warm softness and its elegant, rounded tannins, it has international appeal. Formerly only wine merchandisers seemed aware of this; They would use this precious liquid to soup up feeble wines with prestigious names, in Italy and elsewhere. This is now history, and Primitivo has carved out its own reputation. If the Zinfandel grape which is neither more nor less then Primitivo mysteriously cropping up on the West Coast of the United States of America, can yield the most characteristics f California's reds, surely Primitivo can aspire to an important role on its home territory.
The proof is a terrific red the Zinfandel made by Sinfarosa, an attractive estate in Avetrana, within the Manduria D.O.C. zone, that has ten hectares of bush-trained Primitivo vines with a average age of 50 years. The owner, Antonio Spedicato, Arcangelo My and Celestino Scarciglia. have entrusted the wine making to Gregory Perrucci. The result is a wine of great breeding, elegant on the nose, concentrated and full on the plate, seductively rich in notes of red and black fruit and spicy hints of pepper, toasty oak, vanilla and bitter chocolate, and perfectly balanced throughout.