GRAPES:
100% Primitivo
VINEYARD AREA:
The Primitivo grapes are carefully selected from low-yielding vineyards in the Communes of Avetrana and Manduria, in the Province of Taranto, southern Puglia.
PLANT TRAINING AND DENSITY
The vines are trained in the “Alberello Pugliese” system. Plant density is around 5500 plants per hectare with an average yield of 1.4 kg per plant. The plants are an average of 25 to 35 years old.
HARVEST AND APPASSIMENTO:
The grapes are carefully picked by hand in early/mid September. In late August, when the grapes have reached perfect maturity, a special technique called “il giro del picciolo”(the twisting of the stem) is applied to approximately 50% of the grapes. This consists in twisting the stem of the grape bunches so that no further nourishment reaches the grapes, thus inducing a natural drying of the fruit on the vine. The grapes are left on the plant for approximately 12 days (along with the other grapes which benefit from the late harvesting) and lose approximately 25-30% of their weight in water, concentrating their flavours and aromas.
VINIFICATION:
After de-stemming, the grapes are not crushed, allowing them to remain intact, reducing damage to the skins and optimizing colour extraction. Fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks at a controlled temperature of 23-25°C for 8-10 days.
Frequent remontage and delestage are carried out during the fermentation in order to achieve soft extraction of aromas and gentle tannins. After racking, malolactic fermentation is induced.
AGEING:
Approximately 25% of the wine is aged for 6 months in French and American barriques.
ALCOHOL:
14,5 %