Villa Cardini Edizione Privata 2020 Italy, Red Blend Sangiovese, Nero di Troia, Primitivo
Sangiovese is the most widely planted grape variety in Italy. It is the key grape in most of the best red wines of Tuscany.
Tart Cherry, Red Plum, Strawberry, Fig, Roasted Pepper, Tomato, Leather, oak spices ,Clay, Brick, Tobacco, Smoke, Oregano, Thyme, Dried Roses, Potpourri.
Nero di Troia Puglia Indigenous
Troia translates as "Troy" and lies in northern Puglia. Legend has it that the town was founded by Diomedes, a hero of Virgil's Aeneid, who was among the Greeks holed up inside the Trojan horse.
Ripe plums and violets make way for a luxurious palate that evokes fig cake and dark chocolate, finishing with leather, tea and coffee grinds.
Primitivo probably arrived to Puglia from the coastal vineyards of Croatia (just across the Adriatic Sea). It is still grown today, under various tongue-twisting names including Tribidrag and Crljenak Kasteljanski.
In the early 19th Century, the variety was introduced to the United States, under the name Zinfandel. It proved extremely successful there, earning a reputation as the American 'national grape'. It caused significant consternation on both sides of the Atlantic when DNA analysis proved in 1994 that Zinfandel and Primitivo were the same variety.
Primitivo makes wines that are big, bold, jammy, and rustic, with high alcohol, chewy tannins, and a sweet finish. Its flavors are pronounced: very ripe dark berries as well as black pepper. Dark chocolate, sweet tobacco, and cinnamon spice. Preserves, dried fruit, prunes, old leather and sweet pipe tobacco. Chefs in Puglia adore strong ingredients, raw olive oil and abundant chili pepper (not unlike Mexican cuisine). Primitivo is their close ally.
An excellent value, Villa Cardini pairs well with meat, game and strong cheeses.
