Salento Negroamaro IGP 'F' 2021 (750 ml.) San Marzano

THE WINE

The Negroamaro 'F' from San Marzano comes from three selected vineyards in the Monte La Conca area, straddling the territory of the municipality of San Marzano (TA) and that of Francavilla Fontana (BR), marked by a letter 'F' on the wood to identify them. Negroamaro is a very ancient grape variety. Malolactic fermentation in steel and subsequent aging in French and Caucasian oak barriques for 12 months. In this expression, it becomes particularly velvety and elegant, fleshy and prone to aging. Rich and complex bouquet, with notes of spices, berries, and cherry jam. A wine with great body, soft and harmonious, with noble tannins, and a pleasantly persistent finish. Excellent with hearty first courses, red meats, game, and aged cheeses.

THE COMPANY

Cantine San Marzano is one of the most important wine-producing realities in the Apulian wine scene that has significantly contributed to its rebirth and enhancement in recent decades. It was founded in 1962 by 19 winemakers, to unite their strengths and face the challenge of a wine world that was beginning to acquire an important role within the agricultural and economic landscape of the region, moving away from its peasant roots. Today, the cooperative has over 1200 members and a vineyard area of about 1500 hectares, cultivated in the inland of Taranto, in the heart of the wonderful Salento region.

San Marzano has its origins in two values: respect and modernity. Respect for a tradition with ancient roots that lives today in the gaze, hands, and work of the winemakers who are part of it. Modernity for that idea of wine that is shared and convivial, always open to new languages and different worlds, linked to a clear stylistic signature, characterized by elegance and tasting cleanliness. The choice to focus particularly on enhancing old bush-trained vineyards with Primitivo, used for Primitivo di Manduria, and Negroamaro, while not forgetting minor varieties such as Malvasia Nera del Salento, Verdeca, or international grapes that have adapted very well in Apulia, such as Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Merlot, fits perfectly within this perspective. The favorable soils and the sunny, well-ventilated Mediterranean climate, thanks to the sea breezes surrounding the Apulian peninsula, create ideal conditions for the perfect maturation of grapes with particularly rich and intense aromatic profiles.

The vineyard is the true center of the project, to the point that all San Marzano wines are made from excellent quality grapes, which in the modern winery are vinified with extreme care, in order to preserve the best varietal characteristics and always bring to the forefront the authentic flavor of the sunny and generous Apulian land. The range of wines is very wide and articulated in different collections. The ability to rely on a vast number of plots also allows for the selection of the best vineyards, with the oldest vines, to create particularly prestigious labels that have been part of the select circle of the best wines in the region for years. The Sessantanni Primitivo di Manduria is the most representative label of the way of thinking and working of San Marzano: a red that has completely changed the perception of Apulian wines in international markets. It was born thanks to the insight of President Cavallo, determined to create a wine capable of enhancing the original authenticity of Primitivo in a new and modern way, thus transforming it into a reference point for the type at an international level.