2005 Felline Alberello Rosso Salento IGT

RJonWine.com

• By Richard Jennings
  4/21/2010, (See more on RJonWine.com...) 88 points

  (Felline Alberello Rosso Salento IGT) Dark red violet color; red berry, herb, charcoal nose; light-medium bodied, bright red berry, red plum, sweet charcoal, mineral palate; medium finish

• By Richard Jennings
  12/17/2008, (See more on RJonWine.com...) 87 points

  (Felline Alberello Rosso Salento IGT) Dark crimson red color; charcoal, oregano and black fruit nose with a touch of TCA?; charcoal, sweet black fruit, clove, dried berry and plum palate; medium finish (needs to be drunk up)

Garagiste

• By Jon Rimmerman
  1/15/2008, (See more on Garagiste...)

  (ALBERELLO Felline) Salento Dear Friends, In the heel of Puglia big things are happening... ...and I don’t mean over-ripe, raisined, Australian-wanna-be wine. If you are used to Salice Salentino and the rustic flair of Dr. Cosimo Torino, that was the past - Alberello is the future and I have a strong suspicion that most of you will prefer the new regime. Alberello lies in Manduria, an emerging area to the west of Lecco in the above mentioned heel of Italy’s boot. One would think this is a torrid climate but you have to keep in mind two factors - the heel is surrounded by sea on three sides and elevation gives a large portion of the land mass a far more moderate climate than 100-200kms to the north where the inland heat can reach 100 on a regular basis. In contrast, Italy’s heel is almost like a Mediterranean island, where sea wind influences the climate as much as the sun. The untapped potential in Puglia, from a tourist point of view and from a wine point of view is substantial - the food is among Italy’s best as well with spicy incarnations of pasta and grilled fair that takes inspiration from the surrounding Mediterranean and north Africa. In the quest to uncover the finest inexpensive wines in the world, the search has become a badge of honor as the Euro basically precludes anything of true substance for cheap at this point - not in Puglia. It is here that they still believe in the Lira and if they feel like selling a moderately priced wine for next to nothing, well, then we’re more than willing to take as much as they will offer. Puglia has become synonymous with warm climate wines (as noted in the above comments on “raisined” wine) but Alberello is out to change that one mouth at a time. Is it still possible to captivate with all the sweetness, spice and ripe, red qualities of Primitivo and Negro Amaro without the brutal alcohol and Amarone tones? Yes. The first time I tasted this wine was in Italy and it sold for an incredulously low price. I was so surprised at the freshness of fruit and lightness of being I actually drank half the bottle (the wine is only 12.5-13.0% alcohol as well). A style such as this is one of the most difficult to pull of as you cannot sacrifice the terroir and history of the indigenous grapes of Puglia (with their round, ripe, juicy qualities) but you also don’t want any heaviness - a very difficult achievement, especially at this price level where attention to detail is typically a law of diminishing returns. The Felline accomplishes all of the above and it represents the lovely, artistic side of Puglia with aplomb - no manipulation, hand picked fruit and a feminine touch that give loads of delicious red berry qualities and flavor to burn - It’s even better with a few hours of air. A breath of fresh air for a region that is on the precipice of reinventing the wheel - all with natural methods and a light hand. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for outstanding value and sneak peek at the revolution taking place in The Boot ONE SHIPMENT ONLY at this pre-Euro escalation price: 2005 Alberello “Felline” Rosso Salento (Manduria - Puglia) Thank you, Jon Rimmerman Garagiste Seattle, WA Italy5280