Giorgio Rivetti 2014 “Indigenous” Salento Primitivo ($17.99)
This is a dark, ruby-red wine with a thin clear edge. Its fruity, slightly perfumed aroma offers a blend of dried cherries and fresh, tart blackberries with a spicy back note. Produced in stainless steel with no hint of oak, it offers good cherry-berry fruit in a firm acidic flavor structure with soft but persistent tannin working on your lips and tongue and perceptible but not hot 14% alcohol. You can pick up a hint of the Zinfandel connection in that ripe berry fruit, but it’s much more earthy and rustic than its California sibling. U.S. importer: Indigenous Selections LLC, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (Nov. 21, 2019)
FOOD MATCH: This rich, fruity Primitivo would be a natural with red meat, game, or darker poultry like duck or, of course, Thanksgiving Turkey. As noted above, it’s also a surprisingly good match with hot-and-spicy fare. And its deep intensity makes it one of those rare wines that pairs with dark, bittersweet chocolate.
WHEN TO DRINK: The winery forecasts four or five years to evolve, which would place this 2014 right on its peak. It’s drinking well now, with plenty of fruit and tannin remaining, so I don’t see any need to rush.
VALUE:
My $18 local price is a decent value for this fresh and fruity Euro-style take on Zinfandel.
WEB LINK
Here is importer Indigenous Selections fact sheet on its Salento Primitivo.
FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:
Wine-Searcher.com is not currently showing listings for Indigenous Selections Salento Primitivo. Use this Wine-Searcher link to find other Indigenous Selections wines, and this link on Wine-Searcher to find listings for dozens of other Primitivo wines.
I found this bottle in my local Whole Foods wine shop, so it might be worth checking a Whole Foods in your neighborhood if you have one nearby.