Doppio Passo Primitivo di Manduria DOC Riserva 2021 (Italy)

Description

Chocolate, Spice, Vanilla

“Richly fruited and enticing, the bouquet presents dark fruit intensity, notes of star anise, cedar, and dark chocolate. It's plush and mouth-filling on the palate with excellent weight and velvety texture, leading to a lengthy, opulent finish. At its best: now to 2030” Sam Kim, Wine Orbit

“A Primitivo grape (similar to Zinfandel) delivers the fruit for this expression with a core frame of dark spices laden red berry fruits. From thoughts of Doris plums and blueberry then Christmas pudding the bouquet and palate deliver of structure and detail. A dry wine with layers of clove, licorice and vanilla then five spice weaves through core fruit flavours with a firm structure. Tannins and acidity are definitive yet well balanced, dusty and fine, crisp and ready” Cameron Douglas, Master Sommelier

“Doppio Passo” pays tribute to Italian football parlance: grapes are hand-harvested in two stages – the first at normal ripeness for freshness, the second weeks later for concentration and power. Primitivo comes from the Latin “primativus” meaning “first to ripen”. The earliest known mention dates to 1444 under the name Tribidrag on the Dalmatian coast of Croatia and was planted in Puglia in the C18th. It is a dark, thick-skinned variety known for producing inky, intensely flavoured wines high in flavour. In Puglia’s hot, sunny Mediterranean climate and mixed sandy, loamy, red volcanic soils ripe grapes ripen fully and are hand harvested. Primitivo di Manduria is Puglia’s flagship red wine and the region’s most prestigious expression of the Primitivo grape and holds DOC status since 1974. The grapes are destemmed before carrying out the pre-fermentation maceration at 12-14 °C, followed by fermentation, with maceration lasting 15-20 days at a controlled temperature (25-27°C) to extract colour, body and ripe tannin structure. After pressing, the wine is aged 9 months in barrel and for further 12 months in bottle. This is a powerful, smooth, fruit-saturated wine with intense berry flavours and rich, rounded tannins.

Food pairings: goes very well with grilled red meats, game and aged cheeses.