INSIDER'S PICK: 2020 S. NICOLA/ FATALONE PRIMITIVO GIOIA DEL COLLE $21.99

Even though we will not be doing the public tasting portion of the Insider's Pick until further notice, we will still be offering the wine for purchase with the usual 10% discount on Thursday and Friday. The wines will still be ones we highly recommend, and the tasting notes will still be our own. We will be returning to doing just the one wine on Thursdays and Fridays until further notice. We hope you are able to come by and get some wines to enjoy.

Puglia, the 'Heel' part of Italy, is one of the more rural and remote parts of the country. And despite jutting out into the Mediterranean as it does, it's also one of the driest and warmest. The region has long been known for making wines very different from the rest of the country because of their arid climate, very hearty and rustic, and took a lot longer to embrace many of the more modern winemaking technologies. As that has increased, we have seen more and more great producers exporting their wines that show well and are consistent but still show plenty of their rustic charms. Primitivo (what became known as Zinfandel in America) is very popular here, especially in the Gioia del Colle region just to the Southeast of the city of Bari, and Fatalone was the first in the region to bottle the wine as its own varietal in 1987. This family winery has been a leader with Primitivo in the area since the late 1800s, and even with the necessary modern additions it hasn't taken away their rustic regional character. This is a big wine at 15%abv and definitely has a big fruit character to it, but it also shows lots of the characters of non-interventionist sides of the process (native yeasts, spontaneous fermentation without the use of sulphites), which brings out the sour cherry tones and umami or balsamic notes for many people. Juicy, spicy fruit on the palate with a bit of dark 'sauvage' beneath, definitely showing a bit more of a wild or burly side than usually found in Italians. Excellent to pair with hearty meats that may have some intensive spicing, and melds quite well with most styles of barbeque.

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