Santa Lucia - 'Gazza ladra', Castel del Monte DOC, Puglia, Italy (2022)

TASTING NOTES

Yellow plum, white flower, lime jam, ripe citrus fruits and fresh herbs. Slightly vegetal in the mouth, with brisk acidity to lift the ripe citrus, lychee, hazelnut skins and dried herbs. Lingering saline minerality in the finish.

 Vineyards are farmed organically and biodynamically and each varietal is treated differently to ensure the ideal growing conditions. With this careful management, Fiano - an ancient grape dating back to the Roman Empire - with naturally low yields and great acidity, shows ripe tropical fruit and rich texture balanced by nervy minerality.

Puglia is a much-maligned region. This is the third-largest wine producing area in Italy after Veneto and Emilia-Romagna, and still mostly large co-ops.

The Perrone Capano family has owned Azienda Santa Lucia since 1628, with vineyard records dating back to 1849. They sit a mere 15km from the coast at 300m in elevation.

The family has grown authocthonous varieties through its whole existence. All of their wines are single-vineyard bottlings from estate vineyards of Nero di Troia, Fiano, Bombino Nero, and Aleatico (for an exciting sweet wine).