A MANO `Prima Mano` Primitivo 2006 Mark Shannon and Elvezia Sbalchiero, the duo behind A Mano, have worked in the wine business for most of their lives. Elvezia is a northern Italian wine-marketing expert and Mark is a Californian winemaker. They fell in love with Puglia and, when they decided to start their own label, made it their home. By producing wines of quality, Mark and Elvezia have succeeded in making Primitivo one of Italy.s most talked about grape varieties. They pay high prices for the best grapes from 70-100 year old vines and focus solely on quality and a modern style. After over a decade of vintages, they are now getting access to some of Salento.s best grapes. The Salento peninsula is part of Puglia (the heel of the boot). Prima Mano Primitivo comes from two ancient vineyards grown in the red sand on the coast of the Ionian Sea. These two vineyards always produce A Mano.s most intense Primitivo. The yields are very low and the red sand reflects sunlight onto the fruit for early ripening. They are the first vineyards to be harvested in September. 2006 was a bit atypical with a long, cool spring shifting into a warm, balmy summer without any heat peaks. The absence of overly hot days, which is otherwise normal in Puglia, allowed the grapes to catch up from a late bud break and mature at the normal time. The weather at harvest was good with sunny, bright days and cool nights. Prima Mano Primitivo is thermostyled. The grapes were crushed and put into a jacketed stainless steel fermentor and fermented with native yeasts. Fermentation temperatures reached 28-30°C with frequent, regular pump-overs to give intense colour and soft, fine tannins. Once the colour and tannin structure is correct the temperature was turned down to 15°C and the wine was allowed to finish fermenting for 2 weeks. Upon completion of malolactic fermentation the wine was aged in new French oak, Italian chestnut and Italian cherry barrels for a period of 7 months. Prima Mano has intense jammy plum and raspberry flavours, a black cherry scented nose, and a long, persistent sweet fruit finish with excellent purity. Modern in style, it nevertheless retains a very Italian identity, with a characteristic bitter twist on the finish. Vintage 2006 Grape varieties 100% Primitivo Region Gioia del Colle Winemaker Mark Shannon Closure Stelvin Alcohol (ABV) 14.5% Acidity 6g/l Wine pH 3.55 Find this wine at www.winestore.co.uk Price: £84.20 (Including VAT at 20%)