GUTTAROLO
Lamie delle Vigne 2016
Puglia, Italy
Primitivo from Cristiano’s oldest vines, planted over the emblematic iron-rich soils of the Murge Plateau. The grapes were fermented on the skins for fortnight, before being pressed to vats for a year of rest. Heady with wild, sunkissed fruit, earth and spice, this rustic, savoury vino da tavola screams for the kind of mixed grills you find in the fornelli of the Val d’Itria, or the ocakbasi of Dalston for that matter.
Primitivo
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.