Apollonio Primitivo 2011

I recently had a disagreement with someone about Zinfandel and Primitivo being the same grape. It wasn’t much of an argument since his only response to any proof I presented that they weren’t the same was “Yes they are” and eventually I just gave up and bowed to his obviously “superior” knowledge. It did cause me to try and research the topic and what I found were a lot of conflicting facts. Some people claimed they were the same, others that they weren’t identical, but clones of the Croation grape Crljenak. The latter theory is the one I agree the most with since while the Zinfandels and Primitivos I’ve had are similar in some ways, I’ve also found them to be quite different in others. In my opinion Primitivos tend to display spicier, earthier notes with red fruit flavors whereas Zinfandels are smoother with notes of darker fruits.

I personally tend to prefer Primitivos because I find them to be more complex and interesting. Kye is probably sick of me bringing them home, but the ones that I do I can’t seem to stop buying. My favorite by far has been the 2011 Apollonio Primitivo from the Salice Salentino DOC in Apulia/Puglia, the heel of Italy. Aged for 12 months in American oak and cherry-wood barriques, which comes through on the palate. It’s full-bodied and rich with notes of stewed blueberries, figs and plums. There’s hints of clove and anise on the finish followed by a slight acidity and smooth tannins.

It’s been one of my favorite finds this year and reminded me how much I love Italian wines.

Brutocao Quadriga 2013

Sometimes things go wrong in every way that they can and you’re left having to pick through the mess and find remnants worth saving. While it would be easy to sit around and bask in a “woe is me” attitude, what’s the point? So what if shit doesn’t work out? Deep down I never really expected it to in the first place. I’m not an optimistic kind of gal, never have been and never will be, but I also think that there’s no point in worrying about yesterday’s problems because tomorrow’s might be worse and next week’s will probably be catastrophic. And why worry when I have wine? *

I had honestly planned out a better (more eloquent) post to accompany this wine, then life happened, and that killed off any and all attempts to fake optimism... BUT that doesn’t make this wine any less spectacular:

Brutocao Quadriga (quadriga being a Roman chariot drawn by four horses, in this case four Italian varietals) is a blend of 40% Sangiovese, 28% Primitivo, 16% Barbera and 16% Dolcetto from Mendocino. In my opinion its an old world style wine with a new world feel. It spends 18 months in oak (90% French, 10% American). Medium-bodied with notes of violet accompanied by red cherry and fresh blackberry on the nose. The fruit carries over to the palate and the oak adds some caramel and more rustic notes. The finish is medium-plus with bright acidity and light tannins. It’s a super enjoyable red wine, perfect for warmer weather.

I promise a better post next time, once I’ve gotten past this terrible month. Also some people in the McDonalds drive-thru outside my apartment just started some major drama and the screaming and honking is a bit distracting... while also highly entertaining. My apologies.

*not saying you should try drinking your problems away, it’s a less than stellar plan and rarely ever works out.