San Marzano makes this in the Manduria zone of Puglia, the warm heel of Italy, where Primitivo ripens further than almost anywhere else in the country. The estate works across the Salento peninsula, and Santoro is its Primitivo di Manduria: full, dry, and 14 degrees of alcohol, which the grape carries without heaviness.
- Primitivo, the grape of Manduria, in Puglia.
- Primitivo di Manduria, a DOC appellation since 1974.
- 2021 vintage, 14% alcohol, dry.
- Full body, medium tannin, medium acidity.
- Blackberry, plum, dried figs, baking spice.
How it tastes
Dark and generous, with blackberry and plum at the front and dried figs behind them, then baking spice on the finish. The tannins are medium and smooth rather than gripping, and the acidity is medium too, which keeps a full-bodied wine from turning syrupy. Dry throughout, no sweetness at the end.
Where it comes from
Manduria sits in the Salento, the flat southern part of Puglia, where the Adriatic and Ionian coasts meet. Primitivo here is the same grape as California's Zinfandel and Croatia's Tribidrag, one variety under three names, carried across the Adriatic centuries ago. The Manduria zone is the oldest and most tightly drawn of the Primitivo appellations, and the one the grape is judged by.
Good to know
Primitivo di Manduria was granted DOC status in 1974, one of the first in Puglia, and the rules require the wine to be made only from Primitivo grown inside the zone. The name comes from the grape's habit of ripening early, primo, ahead of everything else in the field.
