​Primitivo di Manduria D.O.C. Villa Santera Leone de Castris

In short, one of those tastings where expectations are really high. As often happens, we were satisfied.

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Leone de Castris is a winery with a centuries-old history. It was founded in 1665 by Oronzo Arcangelo Maria Francesco dei Conti di Lemos, who identified in the lands of the Salento, around Salice Salentino, in the province of Lecce (company headquarters), an area particularly fertile for the cultivation of vines. The founder, understanding the value of those lands, decided to sell part of his possessions in Spain to invest the money gained in the new company. From that moment, the winery grew, focusing on the enhancement of local products, especially wine, but also oil and other local products.

During the nineteenth century, the winery began to export raw wine to the world, in particular to the United States. In 1925, at the behest of the owners, Piero and Lisetta Leone de Castris, the winery began to bottle its products, successfully presenting itself on the national and international market. In 1943, Leone de Castris made the history of Italian enology with the production of the iconic "Five Roses", the first rosé wine to be bottled and marketed in Italy. The subsequent work of Salvatore Leone de Castris, son of Piero and Lisetta, contributed to the development of the winery. Today, his son Piernicola is at the helm, carrying on the family tradition, maintaining the focus on the leading products of Apulian viticulture. The quality of work and production have led to prestigious awards.

Among the Apulian varieties, cultivated in the over 300 hectares of vineyards between the provinces of Lecce, Brindisi, Bari and Taranto, identified as a symbol of the Leone de Castris winery there are: Bianco d'Alessano, Negroamaro, Malvasia nera, Verdeca, Moscato, Aleatico, Susumaniello, Ottavianello and, of course, the Primitivo.

The latter is vinified to obtain the Primitivo di Manduria D.O.C. "Villa Santera" 2021. The Primitivo grapes were harvested in the second decade of September, after a short period of overripening, then subjected to the traditional process of vinification with maceration and fermentation at a controlled temperature (about 20-22 ºC), for 10-15 days. The wine ages in wooden barrels, for about 6 months, and in bottle, for another 6 months.

After this preliminary information, we can proceed to the tasting.

The Primitivo di Manduria D.O.C. "Villa Santera" Leone de Castris 2021 is intense red, almost purple. The bouquet is broad and varied. There are fruity aromas that refer to cherries and plums. The bouquet also includes spicy notes of ginger, licorice and vanilla. In the mounth it is full-bodied and velvety, with soft tannins and an important alcohol content (15% vol.), which is perceived on the palate. The finish is long and persistent, a nice fruity and spicy mix that reminds us of the initial phases of the sip.

Excellent with pasta enriched with meat sauce and very tasty, with aged cheeses, such as Caciocavallo, or blue cheeses, and with red meat dishes, overcooks and important stews.