GUTTAROLO
Joha 2019
Puglia, Italy
From his wild vineyards planted over the pure limestone of Puglia’s Murge Plateau, Cristiano makes the most exciting wines in the region. A new one for us, this blend of Primitivo and Susumaniello is heady with wildflowers, black and blue fruits and a wonderful dusty note from the karst terrain. A wine with an incredible sense of place.
Primitivo, Susumaniello
ABOUT THE PRODUCER
Cristiano Guttarolo’s vineyards are away the plains which often produce hot, flabby wines, on a plateau of limestone some 400 metres above sea level, they benefit from the unique climate in which they live. Daytime temperatures are cooler than usual thanks to a strong breeze from the sea, while the site’s elevation offers a fluctuation between day and night temperatures, allowing the grapes to ripen fully while retaining freshness and finesse.
While the wines are unmistakably Pugliese, full of wild, sun-drenched fruit, they have a balance often missing around here, one that allows the grape and place to sing and the drinker to enjoy the beautiful minerality that karst soils bring.
Vineyard work is excellent, organic and done entirely by hand, while in the cellar Cristiano eschews the use of additives entirely as these are the sort of wines he likes to drink.