Salento IGP Susumaniello 'Susco' 2021 (750 ml.) San Marzano

THE WINE

The Susumaniello 'Susco' from San Marzano is produced in Salento on a coastal-origin soil. Susumaniello is a grape variety with a moody temperament, which is why it is called Susco, meaning 'shy' in the local dialect. Generous in its youth, it becomes frugal, if not stingy, in yields as it ages. Due to its low productivity, it was overlooked in the past and is now being appreciated in its purity. Aged in French and American oak barrels for 6 months. Floral and fruity bouquet, spicy with delicate balsamic notes. Structured with a certain elegance, it reveals an interesting acidic note and good taste persistence. Its good tannic structure predisposes it to aging in wood. The structure and acidic note pair well with rich first and second courses, grilled meat, and aged cheeses.

THE COMPANY

Cantine San Marzano is one of the most important wine-producing realities in the Apulian wine scene, which has significantly contributed to its rebirth and enhancement in recent decades. It was founded in 1962 by 19 winemakers, aiming to unite their forces 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. Today, the cooperative has over 1200 members and a vineyard area of about 1500 hectares, cultivated in the Taranto hinterland, in the heart of the wonderful Salento territory.

San Marzano finds its origins in two values: respect and modernity. Respect for a tradition with ancient roots that lives today in the eyes, hands, and work of the winemakers who are part of it. Modernity for that idea of wine that is widespread and convivial, always open to new languages and different worlds, linked to a clear stylistic signature, characterized by elegance and tasting cleanliness. This perspective is perfectly framed by the choice to focus especially on the enhancement of 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 settled very well in Apulia, such as Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Merlot. The favorable soils and the Mediterranean climate, sunny and very breezy due to the sea breezes surrounding the Apulian peninsula, create ideal conditions for the perfect ripening 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 born from excellent quality grapes, which in the modern winery are vinified with extreme care, in order to preserve the best varietal characteristics and always foreground the authentic flavor of the sunny and generous Apulian land. The range of wines is very broad and articulated into different collections. The ability to rely on a large number of parcels also allows for the selection of the best vineyards, with the oldest vines, to create particularly prestigious labels, which for years have been part of the select circle of the best wines in the region. The Sessantanni Primitivo di Manduria is the most representative label of the thinking and working approach of San Marzano: a red that has completely changed the perception of Apulian wines in international markets. It was born from the insight of President Cavallo, determined to create a wine capable of enhancing the original authenticity of Primitivo in a new and modern light, thus transforming it into a point of reference for the type at the international level.