Tormaresca Torcicoda Primitivo, Salento IGT

Description

Tormaresca Torcicoda Primitivo is made from 100% Primitivo grapes grown in the Puglia wine-rowing region of southern Italy. It is bottled as a Salento Indicazione Geografica Tipica (IGT).

Tormaresca is made up of two estates in different areas of Puglia: in the central, inland region of Castel del Monte they have Aglianico, and in the Salento peninsula of the extreme south-east, Primitivo and Negroamaro. Cabernet and Chardonnay are grown in both zones, giving the winemaker a broad palette from which to blend the very consistent entry-level wines. Antinori only invested here in 1998, yet in that time Tormaresca has become a flagship of Puglian production. Tormaresca actually consists of two estates, the Tenuta Bocca di Lupo estate and winery located in the DOC region of Castel del Monte and the Masseria Maime estate where the grapes for this wine are sourced from. The Masseria Maìme estate runs along the Adriatic coast, with vineyards set in between woods and pine forests. It is located in Maime, in the vibrant heart of Apulia Masseria Maime (Maime Manor) in one of the most beautiful areas of Upper Salento. The estate is some 500 hectares with some 350 hectares of vines and 85 hectares of olives.

The grapes for Tormaresca Torcicoda Primitivo come from older Primitivo vineyards at the estate. This estate is a perfect combination of innovation and age-old traditions; ancient cultivation methods such as “alberello”, an old Apulian technique used to reduce water consumption to a minimum, exist next to new espalier vineyards, a perfect technical compromise for producing excellent quality wines. Grapes were harvested slightly over-ripe, berries were crushed, maceration on the skins took place for a period of approximately 13 days in stainless steel tanks with gentle pump and délestage. Following pressing of the grapes and fermentation, there was a fifteen day maceration period in stainless steel tanks. During this time, the must completed alcoholic fermentation at temperatures of 26-28°C. After pressing and maceration, the wine completed malolactic fermentation in French and Hungarian barriques where it was aged for ten months prior to bottling. Tormaresca Torcicoda Primitivo is matured for 10 months in barriques and a further 6 months in barrel before being released.

This wine is a modern interpretation of the Primitivo grape and the first Apulian wine that appeared in Wine Spectator’s Top 100.