I’m loving this wine.
Cristiano Guttarola makes this delicious and complex Primitivo in a tiny vineyard on the high planes of Southern Puglia. Forget the flabby red house wines that you usually associate with Primitivo. This is really something else entirely and will change how you look at wine from Puglia from this bottle onwards.
This bottling is the product of ancient winemaking techniques used to a great purpose. The vineyards are biodynamic, the grapes hand harvested, vinified with natural yeasts only and aged for a year in terracotta anfora before bottling.
Usually I’m challenged to describe the unaccustomed flavors that these now new, yet so very old techniques, especially anfora fermentation, bring to a wine. I know the difference but can’t describe them. Not with Guttarolo and this bottle. The winemaker’s touch has taken the richness of the grape and found a light, sprightly…almost zesty structure that feels natural and light in combination with this traditionally oversaturated varietal. He gets Primitivo and we benefit from it.
Find and try this one. At $35 a bottle, it’s a hidden value. And it’s just fun to drink.
Need to thank Christopher Barnes, my wine mentor at Chambers Street Wines for turning me on to this.
