Salice Salentino 'Passamante' Masseria Li Veli 2024
The 'Passamante' by Masseria Li Veli is an intense Salice Salentino that is never tiring. The Mediterranean scrub made up of pines, broom, myrtle, and juniper that characterizes the area of origin gives peculiar olfactory and aromatic notes to the wine: clear hints of ripe plum, blackberry, blueberry, but also leather and violet, with a long persistence of licorice and coffee are the main sensations encountered. Puglian bombette are a must in pairing!
The Salice Salentino ‘Passamante’ is a pure Negroamaro with intense fruit produced in the Salento area by Masseria Li Veli. The name ‘Passamante’ comes from the homonymous forest located right next to the Negroamaro vineyards from which the grapes for this label are sourced. In particular, the origin of the name can be traced back to the fact that in ancient times lovers used to spend intimate moments right under the branches of the trees in this forest, which consists of pines, broom, oaks, carob, myrtle, and juniper, plants of the Mediterranean scrub whose fragrances intoxicate the glass of ‘Passamante’.
The Negroamaro grapes intended for the production of Salice Salentino Masseria Li Veli ‘Passamante’ mainly come from young vineyards trained to a spurred cordon, although they are partially complemented by grapes from old bush-trained vines. The vines benefit from the characteristic ventilated Mediterranean climate of the Salento area, as well as the clayey and calcareous matrix that distinguishes the soils. The clusters are harvested in the second half of September and are then transferred to the winery for the alcoholic fermentation in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks in contact with the skins, with the temperature remaining between 22 and 28 °C throughout the entire fermentation process. Subsequently, the wine is aged in French oak barrels for several months until the final bottling.
The Salice Salentino Masseria Li Veli ‘Passamante’ has an intense ruby red color. The nose offers perceptions of leather and violet that blend with distinct fruity hints of ripe plum, blackberry, and blueberry, all completed by deep notes of licorice and coffee. On the palate, it is intense, never tiring, with silky tannins guiding the fruity and spicy persistence.