Tenute Rubino Oltreme Susumaniello Review

A silky smooth wine made from a little-known Italian grape, we review the Tenute Rubino Oltreme Susumaniello DOC Brindisi Rosso.

The wine is made from the rare Susumaniello grape grown in vineyards in Jaddico and Brindisi, Puglia, Italy. It spends 10 months in steel tanks.

Sample submitted for review. The wine has an average price of around $18 and has been available for as low as $15.

From the winery:

The red is dense, little light penetrates it. It almost seems like it doesn’t want to be discovered, playing a game of hide and seek. But the Nose is ready to investigate, curious. “It is actually very deep, the first notes that you take in are plums, cinnamon, and then aromas of cedar, blackcurrant leaves, hazelnut and a distant smokiness. It is beyond me this wine”. “Ah, I know, without me you can’t reach it!”, muttered the Palate. “Here’s a lovely dark body, sapid and textured, the plot flows seamlessly while still maintaining it’s secure binding, intertwining with more intense chapters and finishing with an enjoyable ending”

Food pairings: As an accompaniment to savoury and hearty dishes such as stuffed aubergines and red peppers, tomato orecchiette, porcini mushroom risotto. Delightful enjoyed with cold cuts, medium-ripe cheese and roasts.

13.5% Alcohol

The 2019 Tenute Rubino Oltreme Susumaniello opens with notes of super ripe berries plus some cinnamon and other baking spice. It's a unique and intriguing aroma.

The wine tastes similar in the mouth with a soft, smooth, silky mouthfeel. It almost tastes a bit like the grapes were dried. It's also perhaps a bit sweet but that just adds to the intrigue.

It ends with more ripe, sapid fruit. All the ripeness is a bit much but somehow this is still pretty satisfying.