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HomeWine Club SelectionsAugust 2018 Imported Wine: 2016 Agricole Vallone Primitivo Salento IGT, Puglia, Italy

August 2018 Imported Wine: 2016 Agricole Vallone Primitivo Salento IGT, Puglia, Italy

Fine Wine Source Wine


August 2018

Agricole Vallone:

Basking in the balmy Adriatic-cooled microclimate of the Salento peninsula in Puglia, on Italy’s heel, Agricole Vallone is a large multi-tasking agricultural concern with 170 hectares of vines interspersed with other crops; mostly olive trees, artichokes, and vegetables. It was founded in 1934, but like others at the time, sold grapes to the local co-operative. It was only in the late 1990s that it began bottling its own wines, but it quickly made its name with its flagship wine Graticciaia, a partially barrel-aged red made largely from negromaro grapes dried on mats (graticci) in the autumn sunshine. Designated IGT Salento, this is a very special wine with powerful, concentrated flavors that ages beautifully. The Vallone family started the winery in the 1930s, and many years before then they were Puglian bankers. Now, Francesco Vallone is running the business. He is a tall, usually immaculately dressed, always polite, and very driven Italian, who spends a vast amount of his time doing business in Milan. Francesco only took over the business recently following the tragic and premature death of his father (it had previously been run for many years by his two aunts, Vittoria and Maria Teresa Vallone). The family still owns a grand building in the heart of the beautiful southern Italian city of Lecce, where the company’s office is located, as well as where the family lives. The ‘building’ is actually a 400 year old castle that was used as a fortress to protect the locals from the Crusaders as well as to produce olive oil and wines. Francisco plans to restore and transform the castle into a resort with private rooms, where guests can enjoy facilities such as private swimming pools, private dining rooms, private cooking facilities, and an exclusive spa.

About:

The IGT, DOC and DOCG acronyms are designations used for the Italian wine appellation system (similar to the French AOP system, from which most countries have modeled their industries). Each individual designation has specific rules controlling the various factors of winegrowing: what grapes are allowed, grapes to yield per hectare (@2.5 acres), geographic borders, alcohol levels, ageing, etc. These strict regulations ensure that certified growers have a safeguard on the quality and the authenticity of their products. Indicazione di Geografica Tipica, or Indication of Typical Geography (IGT), is the 1st level of designation for Italian wines. With this designation, winegrowers do not have to follow the specific growing and winemaking rules as they do with the DOC & G, and thus have more creative freedom. You can find beautiful IGT wines all across Italy; however, the only rule is that the wines must originate in the stated region.

Varietal:

100% Primitivo (Very closely related to Zinfandel, likely originated from Croatian Crljenak. A Primitivo wine is rumored to be the wine served at The Last Supper).

Alcohol:

13%

Tasting Notes:

Notes of blueberry, blackberry, violets and leather on the nose lead into earthy-sweet plum and ripe fig flavors, with luscious depth and a plush juicy finish.

Food Pairings:

PIZZA!!! Basically anything tomato based; spaghetti bolognese, chicken parmigiana, veal parmigiana, eggplant parmigiana, chicken cacciatore, earthy vegetables, and dry firm cheeses.

Jim Lutfy’s Thoughts:

A great Italian wine from Puglia in the boot of Italy. Loaded with dark fruit and layers of complexity; best served with veal, pork, or tomato based dishes!