San Marzano makes this in Salento, the long flat heel of Puglia, where Primitivo and Negroamaro have grown side by side for centuries. The two grapes ripen at different speeds, which is exactly why they are blended: Primitivo gives weight and dark fruit, Negroamaro gives the bitter edge and the spice. Collezione Cinquanta is the estate's fiftieth-anniversary bottling.
- Primitivo and Negroamaro, the two workhorse reds of Puglia.
- Salento IGT, the flat, sun-baked heel of Italy.
- 2021, a warm vintage across the south.
- 14.5% alcohol, full body, medium tannin.
- Dry, with medium acidity holding the ripeness in check.
How it is made
Salento is the only part of Italy where Primitivo and Negroamaro are both grown at scale, and blending them is standard practice rather than a novelty. Primitivo, genetically the same grape as California's Zinfandel, ripens early and brings sugar and colour. Negroamaro, whose name means "black bitter", ripens later and keeps the wine from turning soft. The two together give a wine that is generous but not flabby.
How it tastes
Blackberry and dried fig up front, then sweet spice and a tobacco note that comes from the Negroamaro side of the blend. Tannins are velvety rather than grippy, and the finish is dry and warm. Full-bodied, with the alcohol carrying the fruit rather than sitting on top of it.
Where it comes from
Salento sits between the Ionian and Adriatic seas, a peninsula so flat and so hot that the vines are often trained low to the ground or left as bush vines to shade their own fruit. The soil is a mix of red earth and limestone. It is one of the warmest wine regions in Italy, and the wines show it.
Good to know
Negroamaro is one of the few grapes in Italy whose name is not Latin or Italian in origin, but a contraction of nero and amaro, black and bitter, describing both the colour of the grape and the bite it gives a blend. Outside Puglia it is rarely bottled on its own.
