It was easy to settle for 12 or 15 months of barrel aging with the wine finished as well as Rosa d’Oro’s Primitivo. But Nick Buttitta decided to leave the 2014 varietal cased in oak just a little longer — 22 months, in all.
The result?
“I kinda like it,” he said.
On the nose, Rosa d’Oro’s 2014 Primitivo offers dense black cherry, fluttering quince, juicy blackberry and a grounding dose of black pepper. It heaves with heartiness, with honest evenings at the dining room table or boisterous gatherings at the local brasserie.
It packs a wallop of fresh blueberry and red cherry on the palate. It approaches like a speed bag drill, brisk and intent, before tiring into a more languid pool of jammy fruit — rich, lazy and pleasant. The flavors begin to settle mid-palate, burrowing into licorice and loamy earth, with hints of drying tobacco leaves drifting overhead.
The transformation from revelry to settled is completed with a rustic finish. The wine is a journey, from bright lights to quiet fields.
“We’re pretty crude,” Buttitta said with a laugh.
By that he means that Rosa d’Oro prefers to let the grapes speak for themselves. The Primitivo is harvested from a block they planted in 1999 on land exposed to more sunlight. It yields 3 tons per acre, but strains to reach that mark. It responds to neutral oak, showing a balance of fruit and earthiness.
And it both suffers and benefits from obscurity.
Primitivo is similar to Zinfandel, without the name recognition. Yet Buttitta considers the Italian varietal a step up — at least in the field.
“Primitivo is better behaved,” he explained. “They become mature at a little lower sugar level.”
So the varietal ripens more evenly than its famed partner. It reaches for a peak and then deepens in a predictable curve.
That makes it an exciting grape for discerning winemakers.
Buttitta can wrap the wine in aged barrels and allow it to rest, where a few months makes a difference. The expression is both festive and grounded — a wine to serve with food or at holiday parties.
Dave Faries can be reached at 900-2016
