Cignomoro 80 Vecchie Vigne Primitivo di Manduria
WHY WE LOVE IT
- A massive example of Primitivo from 80-year-old vines in the Manduria countryside.
- Primitivo di Manduria is from vineyards grown as Alberello Pugliese: small trees in their own right, which belong to the Mediterranean culture.
- Aromas of undergrowth, wrapped in a sweet note of ripe morello cherry. The taste is rich and very concentrated, enhanced by a consistent presence of sweet tannins.
Varietal Composition: 100% Primitivo
Elaboration: Alberello, an Apulian head-trained ancient system, at a density of about 4000 vines per hectare. Hand picked. Aged in medium toasted French oak barriques for a period of approximately twelve months, after which it rests in the bottle for a further 4 months.
Tasting Notes: A complex and persistent aroma. In the nose it presents scents of cinnamon, tobacco cocoa and coffee. Compact and jammy in the mouth with evident returns of fruit and a chocolate finish and vanilla in the end.
PRESS
n/a
PRODUCER BACKGROUND
Cignomoro, a boutique Italian winery, was founded in 2008 by Ciro Matichecchia and Hugo Rojo de Castro, a Spaniard by birth. The vines grow in the region of Puglia on land once farmed by Ciro’s grandparents. The winery is located in Martina-Franca at the top of the heel of Italy’s boot, 12 straight-line miles from the Adriatic Sea in the east, and 17 miles from the Gulf of Taranto in the southwest. The name Cignomoro translates to black swan, lending an elegance to their wine and separating it from the mainstream “white swan” wine producers.
Puglia, a premier wine-growing region, stretches down the southeast coast of Italy and includes what is called the “heel of the boot.” The heel itself is known as Salento. Grapes are believed to have been grown in this area by the ancient Greeks as far back as the seventh century BC.