Passitivo Primitivo Appassimento (ORGANIC)

The story of this beautiful estate, in Salento, Puglia, goes back to the turn of the 19th century when Antonio Leo started to vinify grapes grown on his 20-hectare estate, Masseria Monticello.   In the early 20’s Antonio passed the estate to his grandson Paolo Leo, who inherited the 20 hectares and built his own winery.   Today the winery has a capacity of 50,000 hl, a state of the art bottling line and over 500 French oak barriques and is run by the 6th Paolo Leo and his sons.

Paolo Leo and his family specialise in the indigenous varietals of southern Italy and Puglia and have become well known in particular for their stunning Primitivo from varietal, to Appassimento, DOC Manduria and innovative southern Italian blends

ORGANIC CERTIFICATION: ICEA Organic Certified, according to Council Regulation (EEC) No 2092/91

Vineyard and Winemaking - A pre-harvest withering technique called "Il giro del Picciolo" is applied. It consists in choking the stem of the bunches in order to prevent the nutrition of the berries, thus inducing a natural drying in the plant. The bunches are left to dry for about 12 days, losing about 25-30% of their weight in liquids, and concentrating aromas and flavors before harvesting.   Fermentation takes place at a controlled temperature then ageing for 5 months in American oak barrels and 6 months in stainless steel vessels

Tasting Note - Plum cherry fruits backed up by notes of spice, cocoa and vanilla.   Lovely balance between soft tannins and acidity.