Friday, December 16, 2016

The Modern Complexity of Tormaresca’s Primitivo

If you’ve been tracking with the blog for the last couple weeks you’ll notice I’ve been enjoying the joys of Italian wines lately. This is because I really enjoy the Italian varietals, which also seem to do especially well here in Texas. Over the years I’ve managed to work through most of the local grocery store's selection of Texas wines, and now I generally have to venture to Feldman’s or points north for more variety. However, the HEB on Trenton has a pretty decent selection of Italian and Spanish wines to choose from. One of these wines was Tormaresca’s 2013 Primitivo Puglia.


The Primitivo is comparable to the Zinfandel, and this particular wine is very similar to some of the old vine Zinfandel I’ve enjoyed. The Primitivo is all fruit on the nose, with strong ripe berries leading the charge. On the front of the palate you’ll get loaded up with rich raspberry and cherry. This is followed by luxuriant anise and spice that add a complex sweetness to the wine. This bottle finishes with mellow tannins and a slightly cloying sweetness. 

While this particular wine is a bit sweeter than what I usually gravitate to I still enjoyed it immensely. In fact, I had to restrain my enjoyment to one or one and a half glasses. Any more than that and I probably would’ve finished off the bottle in short order. The balancing of sweet and spicy was the key here.  The richness of Tormaresca’s Primitivo would work well with a variety of deep rich dishes. Pair it with tomato based pastas or roasted beef to get the most out of its well balanced richness.

You can find Tormaresca’s 2013 Primitivo Puglia at the HEB on Trenton in McAllen. It retails about $16 which is a pretty good deal considering there are several 90 point rated iterations of this wine in its history.  However, if you’re not a fan of the sweeter wines, give this one a pass. Or give it a shot, you may be pleasantly surprised.

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