JK.14 - Lirica Primitivo Di Manduria 2019

Lirica PRIMITIVO DI MANDURIA DOC

Primitivo is one of Italy's greatest grapes. It is thought to have arrived in Puglia, the heel of Italy, in the 18th century from across the Adriatic Sea via the Croatian coast. Its Italian name was derived from its early ripening nature. Monk and botanist, Don Francesco Filippo Indellicati, named the variety Primitivo from the Latin "primativus" or "first to ripen". It is a grape that is rich in colour though its skin is delicate and thin. At its most simple, it produces wines that are fruit-forward, fleshy and opulent with notes of ripe cherries, blackberries, sometimes fig and a whiff of black pepper. But at its most qualitative, it creates powerful, complex, savoury and age-worthy reds. Located on the southern side of Puglia facing the Ionian Sea, the area around Manduria is one of the greatest zones for Primitivo. Renowned for its iron-rich soils of sand, silt, and clay over a volcanic sub-soil, Manduria benefits from the sea's cool breezes, which often creates a temperate climate despite its southerly location.

Varietal: Primitivo 100%
Vineyard age: 15-25 years old
Training system: "alberello" (bush vine) and espallier
Harvest time: early September
Average yield per hectare: 90 quintals (9.000 kilograms)
Vinification: thermo-controlled alcoholic fermentation at 25°C (77° F), maceration for 1 week
Ageing: minimum 6 months in big casks of Slavonian oak
Alcohol content: 14,5% Vol.

TASTING NOTES
Colour: medium deep ruby red colour
Bouquet: pure and modern nose of ripe dark fruit, cherry, plum, sweet spices like ginger and aniseed with discreet oak
Taste: the palate is medium to full with a rounded texture, a well-balanced freshness underneath with a rather long and broad spicy fìnish
Suggested pairing: meat, braised beef roast and medium-aged cheeses
Serving temperature: 16° - 18° C (60°- 64° F)

The history of PRODUTTORI DI MANDURIA started in the 1920s, when the Italian government appropriated funds to stimulate the vineyards from the south of Italy to cooperate in the production of wine, due to their poor disposition and resources. In Manduria a little group of vine-dressers decided to commercialise Primitivo, and in 1932 the Consorzio was officially founded. The cooperative was made up of the best vineyards in Manduria, who worked together to create the best Primitivo in the area. Today, the Consorzio is home to the Museum of Primitivo, which documents the millenary relationship between the people of Manduria and the art of making wine.