Caleo works in Puglia, the heel of Italy, where Primitivo has grown for centuries and where the sun does most of the work. The 2021 is a full-bodied red at 14% alcohol, dry, with medium tannin and medium acidity.
- Primitivo, the grape of Puglia.
- Puglia IGT, a regional designation, not a village one.
- 2021, a warm vintage across southern Italy.
- Full body, medium tannin, dry.
- 750ml bottle, 14% alcohol.
How it is made
Primitivo is a grape that ripens early and sugars up fast, which is why it lands at 14% without anyone pushing it. Puglia IGT is a broad regional appellation: it sets the grape and the place, and leaves the winemaking to the producer. The style here is built for weight and fruit rather than restraint.
How it tastes
Blackberry and black cherry lead, with fig underneath and a sweet spice note that runs through to the finish. The tannins are warm rather than tight, medium in grip, and the acidity stays medium, so the fruit sits forward. Dry, full in the mouth, and generous on the close.
Where it comes from
Puglia is the flat, hot south, long on sun and short on rain, and Primitivo is its most planted red. The grape is genetically identical to California's Zinfandel and to Croatia's Tribidrag, one variety carried along different routes and renamed at each stop.
Good to know
Primitivo gets its name from the Latin for early ripening, and in Puglia it is also known as Primitivo di Manduria, the area that made it famous. The IGT on this label means the wine is a regional Puglia blend rather than one tied to a single defined zone.
