2008 Zambro, Salento, Italy, Primitivo - Salento IGT

The Casalbaio vineyards stand on the red earth of Salento, a strip of land between the two seas called “the heel of Italy’s boot”. The 204 hectares of Primitivo and Negoamaro grapes are located in the territory of Mesagne, 10 km from Brindisi and from the Adriatic sea, at an altitude of 50 meters above sea level. The soil, typically marly, and the proximity of the sea are the ideal microclimate for the vines, the terroir combined with the experience and great skill of the winemakers, provides character and identity to the wines of Casalbaio.

Zambro was a “gentleman brigand” who lived in the Salento countryside in the first half of the nineteenth century. Feared and respected he gave hope to the people by attacking the rich areas on the plain and sharing the booty among those in need.

The Primitivo grapes are handpicked and placed in trays when they are fully ripe. After being de-stemmed, they are chilled and transferred to fermenting vats, where maceration and fermentation take place under controlled temperature conditions for 7 to 10 days. After starting in steel vats, the fermentation is completed in oak barriques, where the wine remains to age for around eight months. It is clarified and bottled before undergoing further ageing.