VIGNETI DEL SALENTO ZOLLA SALICE SALENTINO
This is Farnese’s venture in Puglia (they are also responsible for Gran Sasso, Zabù, Vesevo, Tufarello and others). The wines are made at two wineries in the province of Taranto on the western flank of Salento. The style of the wines - fresh whites, soft and generous reds - will be familiar to those who buy their other wines, as winemaker Filippo Baccalaro is the driving force behind this label. Filippo, a native of Piemonte, has been working in Puglia for almost two decades. He was attracted by the rich, ripe flavours of the fruit, and has the potential to capture these flavours with minimal use of technology and a lot of know-how.
The vineyards are mostly situated in the communes of Manduria and Sava and are owned by growers with whom Filippo has been working for many years. Production is lower than its potential, which ensures the best quality grapes are selected. The red soils are calcerous clay and rich in iron, minerals and nutrients. 80% of the grapes come from old bush vines and the rest from trained vines that are at least 20 years old.
A blend of 80% Negroamaro and 20% Malvasia Nera, the grapes were gently pressed and cooled to 10ºC for a maceration period of eight to ten days with regular pumping over. Fermentation took place under temperature controlled conditions of up to 20ºC. Malolactic fermentation took place in stainless steel tanks. The wine was then transferred to second and third passage oak barriques for eight to ten months before bottling.
This wine is bright ruby red in colour. On the nose, it has intense aromas of cherry, plum and pomegranate with sweet spice and Mediterranean herbs. Good structure with supple fruit on the palate and good acidity on the finish.
