Gianfranco Fino gives us another treat in the form of the decadently rich and unctuous 2016 Primitivo di Manduria Es. This is a landmark wine from Puglia that expertly weaves together concentration, richness and power, resulting in one of the most emblematic wines to emerge from the sun-scorched instep of Italy's boot. This Primitivo, drawn from vineyards less than 100 meters from the sea-level stretch of Greek settlements along the Ionian, weighs in with a Herculean 16.5% alcoholic content. Thanks to nine months of barrique aging, you get plenty of sweet spice and mesquite on the close. The 2016 vintage offers bright fruit with plum, prune and dried blackberry, perfect for a heavy potato, tomato and red meat stew. Some 15,000 bottles were made.

An expressive red, with a sense of finesse to the layered flavors of cherry preserves, dried marjoram and mandarin orange peel, accented by a streak of spicy mineral and sculpted tannins. Medium- to full-bodied and elegant. Drink now through 2027. 2,500 cases made.??–AN??Region: Italy / South / Puglia / Primitivo di Manduria Select to Add

The 2014 Primitivo di Manduria Es is a weaker vintage of Puglia's most muscular wine. Made with grape appassimento (air-drying just like Amarone), this is a bold and well endowed oak-aged Primitivo that seems to exude all the masculine prowess and audacity that is so specific to Puglia's personality. Nonetheless, Gianfranco Fino always delivers an exciting and exhilarating experience that is not for the faint of heart. This wine grabs you and embraces you with mighty force. The fruit is darkly concentrated and syrupy, with high alcoholic readings and evident residual sugar to match. The mouthful is flush, velvety and overtly generous. All those jammy flavors of cherry liqueur and dried plum make this the proverbial fruit bomb. But, it definitely wears that title with pride.

A rich and silky red, with a lush panoply of blackberry coulis, fig cake, dark chocolate, graphite, dried cranberry and ground clove and anise notes. A harmonious version, with mouthwatering acidity and refined tannins that focus the mineral-tinged finish. Drink now through 2023. 2,500 cases made, 100 cases imported.??–AN??Region: Italy / South / Puglia / Primitivo di Manduria Select to Add

I was initially puzzled by the 2012 version of this wine, but was absolutely smitten by the 2013 Primitivo di Manduria Es. This is a bruiser with an inky black consistency and impenetrable appearance with dark plum, raisin, blackberry, licorice, rum cake, cherry liqueur, grilled herb and teriyaki sauce. This wine is definitely the Romano Dal Forno Amarone of Southern Italy. It offers similar intensity and opulence and a stylistic signature that is both distinctive and impossible to imitate. Sweet tannins and bold intensity wrap over the palate in thick waves. The close is lavish, opulent and overstated. This is a wine of grand promises that will appeal to those who are not faint of heart. Gianfranco Fino delivers the power and the emotion of Puglia, no holds barred.