2022 Duca di Saragnano “Alchymia” Primitivo, Puglia, Italy (Alcohol 14.5%, Residual Sugar 18 g/l) LCBO Vintages $22.95 (750ml)
What with the seasons turning and nights getting a lot chillier, one’s mind turns to heartier reds, and this one is certainly a winter warmer.
At 14.5% and an admittedly frightening 18 g/l of residual sugar, this one is a bit of a beast, but if you have a taste for bigger, ripe wine styles, say, perhaps, you are a big Zinfandel fan, then you’ll get along just fine with this particular wine. As much as I love my lighter reds, there’s a time and a place for more robust fellows like this, and last night, a chilly autumnal one was just that. While many of my peers will balk at the heavier RS, once in a wee while I rather enjoy the indulgence it brings along with the sheer boozieness.
There’s definitely more in common with Californian Zinfandels here than the majority of Primitivo we see upon the LCBO shelves, so expect a ton of stewed, cooked, and raisined black fruits along with some powerful aromatics of woodsmoke, leather, pepper, anise, dried herbs, and vanilla oak spice. On the palate, while the wine is undeniably dense, there’s quite a pleasant plummy fruit lift going on here. The tannins are present and do add some much-needed architecture to what would otherwise be a bit too much. The finish is medium/long and draws out that aforementioned plum factor.
All in all, it’s probably one of the better Puglian wines I’ve tasted in some time, so please don’t knock it until you have tried it.
Be sure to pair with big food, so barbecued, sweeter, smoked meats would work an absolute charm alongside this.
(Three and a half out of a possible five apples)
