Primitivo is Zinfandel, according to University of California at Davis ampelographers (students of grape DNA), but that doesn’t mean they taste the same, as this medium-weight southern Italian version proves. Dark cherry, leather, coffee and cocoa predominate here, with some nice spice, tar and a slight black pepperiness (maybe that’s the Zin gene) on the finish. ——W.E.(5/1/2001)—— 85