Santi Dimitri

Puglia is the heel on Italy’s boot, the part of the country driving its spike past the Adriatic down onto the wider Med. I went to this tasting of the wines of the Puglian producer Santi Dimitri (held at the Scottish Wine Society in Edinburgh on 9.11.10) more in search of an insight into the area’s prevailing wine trends than in expectation of outstanding wines, rather wary of the flabby and overcooked wines not uncommon in particularly hot regions; but I was happily proven wrong. The strength of Santi Dimitri is in their complex and delicious reds, which inspired copious notes on my part; these are wines I would happily take home to dinner and to cellar. The Aruca, Sharav and Margia are rich, layered reds all drinking well now, but all with years of aging potential ahead.

WHITE

Ruah Salento IGT 2009  

Golden, with a slightly toasty nose that also has melon notes, this initially feels like a fairly common-or-garden Chardonnay. The palate has notes of talcum powder, maybe herbs, maybe a touch of honey, with relatively low levels of acid. An entry level wine, it is at least unusual in having a more interesting palate than bouquet. It is made from an indigenous variety called Fiano. Unlike many white varieties, Fiano grows well in the local sandy soils, and unlike many South Italian white wines which can fade within the year, this should keep its freshness for up to 2 years.

ROSÉ

Aruca Salento IGT 2009

I tend to think that the most attractive thing about rosé wine is the colour, and this is a very attractive strawberry pink with lovely highlights. The bouquet has notes of bubble-gum and red fruit. Much rosé wine everywhere, and especially in areas with a booming tourist trade, is fairly insipid stuff designed only for freshness. While this Salento wine is as light as most rosé, I am surprised by how attractive I find the red fruit notes, which are followed by the gently tannic suggestion of black tea. This would be a good match for fish cooked with tomato.

RED

Aruca Salento IGT 2007

This dark but not opaque wine is made from the classically south Italian Negroamaro grape, a variety particularly associated with Salento, where it makes both rosés (such as the Aruca above) and age-worthy reds.

The Aruca red is an impressive mix of firm fruit, almonds and Rioja-style oak spicy oak. Liquorice notes emerge on the palate (a classic Negroamaro note) amid the ripe cherry fruit. Interestingly, it has been matured in Hungarian oak, which tends to impart spicy notes to wine, complementing in this case the naturally spicy notes of the Negroamaro. Hot and leathery, it is rather like a Shiraz meeting a Rioja. Over time, raisined notes emerge.

Sharav Salento IGT 2007

This very slightly darker wine has a dusty nose quite suggestive of oak aging, mixed with smooth red fruits that show the wine is maturing well. It is made from a local clone of Italy’s Primitivo (itself the same as California’s Zinfandel). Although Primitivo can age well, this – clearly a very high quality wine – is beautifully smooth at the moment, dominated at first by notes of blackcurrant jelly with pepper, which are superseded by the very leafy finish. Again, this has been aged in Hungarian oak barriques (36 months), which helps marry some Negroamaro-style spicy notes with Primitivo fruit.

Margia Salento IGT 2006

Once again, quite a dark wine, although it is showing hints of a little more maturity round the rim. The bouquet is a mix of eucalyptus, cassis and balsamic, with the first suggestions of the Worcester sauce that some reds mature towards beautifully. It is a blend of Negroamaro (60%), Cabernet Sauvignon (20%), and Merlot (20%), but the Cabernet clearly dominates. Nevertheless, it is quite complex with a lot of personality, perhaps reflecting the maturation using a mix of Hungarian and French barriques. Given time, the eucalyptus notes blend with orange and farmyardy notes. Extremely expressive, well-structured with good tannins, body and acid, this is a wine that will age very well.

DESSERT

Serra dei Santi Salento IGT (vintage unrecorded)

The bouquet on this wine is reminiscent of a perfumed variation of cough mixture, with herbal notes behind. Sugary and viscous on the palate, the quite sharp acid nevertheless brings forward notes of sherbet lemons along with the grapey, raisined sweetness. Attractive and fresh despite the sugar, this would be a natural match for bitter chocolate, venison pate or hard cheese.

It is made from the local Aleatico grape (which has made it into some parts of the world as Red Moscatel), a typically perfumed red variety well-suited to dessert wines.

http://www.santidimitri.it/