The 2007 Primitivo di Manduria Villa Santera is a delicious glass of wine. Medium to full in body, this rich dense red is packed with ripe dark fruit. Sweet notes of tar, licorice and leather linger on the long finish. This would make a great house wine. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2012. Leone de Castris makes a number of wines, but I found this bottling the best of the bunch, as the higher end wines are excessively oaked and offer little varietal character relative to the region’s top wines.Importer: Wine Wave, Jericho, NY; tel. (516) 433-1121

This is a rich and well concentrated Primitivo di Manduria from Southern Italy with mature notes of black cherry, blackberry pie, plum and dried prunes. The wine is rich and soft and the mouth offers a full palate of mature fruit flavors. Pair this with meat or cheesy pasta dishes. ——M.L.(12/1/2009)—— 87