Quarantale 2010, another gem from Rosa del Golfo

We have already encountered the winery Rosa del Golfo when we tasted the magnificent rosato del Salento that bears the name of the cantina itself. The winery is located in the hinterland of the Salentine peninsula, the southernmost tip of the Puglia region, an area with a great winemaking tradition. It is a hilly, clay-limestone territory characterised by typical patches of iron-rich red earth, while the temperate climate is ideal for both the vine and the olive tree. The wines of Rosa del Golfo sink their centuries-old roots deep into the history of the Terra d'Otranto.

Quarantale, the name of the wine we tasted this time, is a word from the ancient Salentine dialect that denotes the furrow dug to plant a new vineyard. It is one of the winery's flagship products, born from the desire to create a great, typical red wine, crafted in respect of tradition. The intention was also that the wine should be the fruit of the indigenous grape varieties of the Salento: Negroamaro above all, followed by Aglianico, Primitivo, and Malvasia Nera Leccese.

2010 was a very favourable vintage for the vine, thanks to a positive alternation between warm weather and rainfall. The vineyard, located a short distance from the sea, is trained as alberello, a vine-training method often found in this area and typically practised on poor, non-irrigated soils. The vines are approximately 50 years old and are distinguished by their low productivity. The microclimate is particularly propitious, characterised by a significant temperature variation between night and day that encourages the development of aromas in the grapes, as well as by intense summer heat tempered by the influence of the sea breeze.

After harvesting, the grapes were transferred to the cantina and vinified separately. The wines produced were then aged for a period of two years in wood, both in Slavonian oak barrels and in new French barrique. They were subsequently blended and then bottled. The bottles rested for a further year in the cantina before being released to market.

Let us now turn to the tasting of Quarantale 2010.

A beautiful, deep ruby red with a slightly garnet rim, the wine forms thick arches with tears that slide slowly down the sides of the glass – a clear sign of the wine's substantial structure. The nose is sumptuous, where we distinctly perceive fruity notes of blueberry and mulberry, plum also in jam form, giving way to tertiary aromas resulting from the ageing process. There are also sweet spices of cinnamon and nutmeg, leather and tobacco with mentholated hints, rhubarb and aromatic herbs. The wine expresses all of its elegance and breadth in the richness of its olfactory spectrum.

On the palate, Quarantale is rich and satisfying, striking for its integrity, with a freshness well balanced by softness and 13.5% alcohol. The tannic structure is silky as well as masterfully integrated into the wine. The finish is very long and consistent, with a lasting mineral and balsamic trail. A very deep wine, of great quality, elegant and complex.

We conclude by saying that we very much enjoyed Quarantale 2010. We tasted it paired with a roast veal with a side of oven-roasted potatoes.