Gran Passione Salice Salentino Riserva – Put Together

BULK BUY!

100% Negroamaro (nay-grow-ah-MAH-ro) from Salice Salentino (SAH-lee-chae sah-len-TEE-no), Puglia, Italy.

SRP of $15 and available for as low as $12. Imported by Winesellers, ltd. Sample submitted for review.

From the bottle:

“Passion is a powerful feeling, a compelling emotion. ‘Gran Passione’ is exactly this, the expression and devotion to our work that honors the tradition of our land.

Gran Passione Salice Salentino Riserva is a hearty red wine with deep flavors of cherry, spice and smoky overtones. Grown in Salento in Southern Italy and produced from 100% Negroamaro, the wine is then aged for two years before release. It will pair well with roasted or grilled red meats, stews, salumi and other antipasti.

13% Alcohol”

Negroamaro, grown in the Puglia region in southeastern Italy (the heel of the boot), is best known as the primary component of the excellent Salice Salentino wines produced in the Salento Peninsula. This is another wonderful variety that you may hesitate to buy, simply because it is unknown. However, if you’re a fan of moderately tannic wines with lots of dark berry flavors, you don’t want to miss this gem. Riservas, like today’s example, require 24 months of aging before being released.

The 2011 Gran Passione Salice Salentino Riserva begins with lots of lovely blackberry, plum, sour black cherry and vanilla on the nose, but that’s not all. Further swirling and sniffing reveals excellent coffee and tobacco notes along with touches of baking spice and violets. The medium to full-bodied wine tastes juicy and delicious with wonderfully integrated oak notes and even a bit of an earthy streak. In the mouth the fruit shows a bit more raisin and prune and those hints of baking spice from the nose continue. The whole thing finishes dry, smooth, savory, and long.

See a listing of local retailers selling this wine here.