Primitivo di Manduria 'Passo del Cardinale' Paolo Leo 2023

The Primitivo di Manduria "Passo del Cardinale" by Paolo Leo is a red wine that presents itself to the consumer as the jewel of the winery. The origin of the name is linked to the figure of an elderly Cardinal whom Paolo Leo would visit from time to time. He would often accompany him on his walks, which became slower and more tiring year after year, given the age of the elderly prelate. During these outings, the two would always walk through an old grape arbor, a pride of the Cardinal, who tended to it with commitment and dedication. When the new cru was ready in the winery, Paolo Leo decided to dedicate it to the figure of his elderly friend.

The "Passo del Cardinale" from the Paolo Leo winery is born from the pure vinification of the grape Primitivo, grown using the traditional alberello system. The harvest is carried out in the early hours of dawn, to avoid excessive water stress on the manually harvested bunches. In the winery, the vinification phase includes the crushing and destemming of the fruits and the alcoholic fermentation at controlled temperature, followed by a short aging period of 3 months in American oak barriques and an additional 6 months in steel tanks.

The Primitivo di Manduria "Passo del Cardinale" in the glass presents an intense ruby red color. On the nose, it is intriguing and enveloping, with hints of red fruit in spirit, aromatic herbs, licorice, and sweet spices. On the palate, it is harmonious, soft, warm, and pleasantly persistent. One of the red wines that expresses the South of Italy in the most concrete and perfect way. Slow and tiring was the Cardinal's pace. Slow and tiring is the manual management of the vineyard from which this wine is obtained, and slow is the time one must wait before being able to obtain it. From these slow rhythms, this label is born: an undisputed pride of the Paolo Leo winery.