As many of our customers know, we are great lovers of Italian wines and we enjoy nothing more than seeking out the best producers from each corner of this complex and beautiful country. Having only a small offering of wines from Puglia, we thought it was about time we upped our game and delved deeper into this southerly region. It is well established that there are some stunning bargains to be found.
Our latest find is the estate of Alberto Longo based in the Northern Puglia town of Lucera. I have known Alberto for a few years and developed a small obsession with his virtuosic reds. My most recent tastings of these wine has convinced me that these are among the best in the region.
About The Winery
The winery was established in the year 2000, but has a longer history of several generations of vine-growing. Subsequently, Alberto has converted his vineyards to organic being fully certified from 2019 vintage. He has had the foresight to enlist one of Italy's most reputed oenologists, Graziana Grassini of Sassicaia fame, to consult on the winemaking. There are 30 hectares of beautifully curated vineyards and a modern winery.
The Wines
We will be initially stocking seven wines from Alberto Longo. Starting with the white, there is his Falanghina Le Fossette which combines floral and stoned scents with rich body and a juicy texture. Next is the Rosé called Donnadele made from Negroamaro and is that just-pink colour with beautiful aromatics with a textured palate and just a hint of that lovely Italian bite of bitterness.
The remaining five are reds. First of all is the Cacc'e Mitte di Lucera. This is the local DOC of Lucera and is made from a mix of Montepulciano, Aglianico and a dash of a white variety, Bombino.
Following this is his Primitivo which is unlike any other wine I have tasted from this variety. Although it is sourced from vineyards further down the peninsula, in the vicinity of Manduria which is the spiritual home of this variety, the wine has a completely different personality. Instead, this example is inky, fragrant, fresh and not a jot of heaviness I normally find in wines from this area.
His two top wines are his Syrah 4.7.7, which just about the only good Syrah I have tasted from Italy with any varietal character to it, and his Aglianico 'Montepeloso' with is an extraordinary wine for its complexity and depth. Finally, there is his 100% Nero di Troia named 'Citerna'. This everyday red offers delicious fruit and floral characters being highly typical and authentic of the reds from Northern Puglia.
We expect the wines to arrive late June and we look forward to introducing them to you.