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Wine Tasting Adventure

2022 A Mano, `Prima Mano` Primitivo - Liberty

£23.99 GBP
£23.99 GBP

Mark Shannon and his partner Elvezia Sbalchiero have revolutionised the style and calibre of Primitivo, turning it into one of Puglia’s most talked about grape varieties. They achieved this at A Mano in Salento by paying fair, high prices for the best possible grapes (sourced from 70 to 100-year-old vines) and focusing exclusively on quality while crafting a modern style. As the old saying goes, where you lead, others will follow.

The continued success of A Mano is at least partly attributable to the knowledge that Mark and Elvezia have gleaned from over 18 vintages in Puglia. Not only do they have access to Salento’s best grapes, but their growers have also realised that if they want the higher price paid by A Mano, they need to provide quality to match.

The quality of fruit shines through in A Mano wines. A Mano Bianco is a blend of Fiano and Greco and displays aromas of ripe pear and orange blossom. The Rosato, made from 100% Primitivo, is fermented at low temperatures to retain the delicate perfume of the variety. The ‘Imprint’ Primitivo Appassito is made in the style of an Amarone and delivers a similarly rich and powerful expression. The rare and ancient red Puglian variety, Susumaniello was used mostly as a blending component until a few years ago. The name means ‘little donkey’ in the local dialect, referring to the enormous load the vines bear when young. Others argue the name derives from it being stubborn and difficult to manage. The wine is deep, inky purple and full-bodied, with intense aromas of blackberry and violets.

Their ‘Prima Mano’ Primitivo is produced only in excellent vintages. Sourced from two ancient vineyards planted on the red sand soils of the Ionian coast, the resulting wine is extremely dark and concentrated, with the spiciness typical of Primitivo. The ‘Prima Mano’ Negroamaro hails from 70-year-old vines. The wine is beautifully complex, with velvety tannins and notes of rose petals, violets, black cherries, and damask plums.

Grapes for this wine come from four vineyards situated in the heart of the Primitivo growing region, in the low hills east of Taranto in Puglia. The region is an old seabed, littered with fossils, and the climate is classically Mediterranean. The Primitivo vines are quite old; most are the original post-phylloxera plantings and range from 70 to 100 years old. As with most vineyards planted at that time, they are small bush vines called "alberello" which are non-irrigated and low yielding. The average Primitivo vineyard is quite small, less than half a hectare and the best sites have crumbly, dark reddish-brown soils that resembles instant coffee and radiate heat back into the vines.

The 2022 vintage will be remembered as producing a high quality harvest despite the challenges faced. The winter months were dry and provided meagre water reserves, this was exacerbated by the hot and dry summer that followed. Despite providing challenges, the silver lining of these conditions was the lack of disease pressure to the vines. Rain finally arrived in August and provided much needed relief to the vines and enabled great balance in time for the harvest.

A Mano’s `Prima Mano` Primitivo is vinified at a combination of warm and cool temperatures. Once fermentation was underway, the juice was drawn off and chilled. The remaining grape skins and pulp continued to ferment at warm temperatures in order to break down and release the maximum amount of colour and tannins. At the perfect moment, the chilled must was re-added and fermentation then continued at controlled cool temperatures. This style of winemaking allows for high levels of extraction while still retaining the primary fruit characters.

`Prima Mano` is a powerful yet elegant wine infused with cherry, ripe plum, raspberry and dried rose petals, along with subtle spicy hints. The palate is full bodied and rich, with great structure and a persistent finish.