Alberto Longo, Capoposto, Negroamaro

This is a stunning Negroamaro that really stopped us in our tracks. This is not made in the thick, juicy and sweet-like style, though it shares much of the fruit flavours in wines from that category. No, this is fresh and balanced and excellent with food. It's complex, too and because of that there is a larger reward from each mouthful, giving you cherry and blackberry, currant and spices all in clear delineation while seamlessly integrated, onto a long finish. Very, very nice. And, this 2016 vintage is only 13% alcohol.

Capoposto looked a bit like a mouthful to pronounce at first, but once you break it down it's easy. It means "Post Master" which is translated from Capo (master) and posto (the Post). Capo Posto. Although it's probably Capo di Posto if you're actually using actual Italian... however, for this wine, the name certainly carries the message clearly enough... (groan).

Southern Italian wines from Puglia have had a wonderfully modernising impact on the Italian wine industry bringing richer, ripe red wines to the international market at considerably lower prices than customers were expecting to pay. This is Good Thing. However, not everyone wants big, jammy blockbusting reds all the time. This is the basis that brought Alberto Longo's family to begin making their own wines in 2005.

They looked for someone to assist in their project to show-off the terroirs and nuance available in Puglia, especially regarding acidity and balance. They hired super winemaker Graziana Grassini who herself had worked for the legendary Giacomo Tachis of 1960s and 70s Supertuscan Tignanello fame.

The philosophy that was bred into her was really an old-school and French-based search for terroir and climats in vineyards and translating these facets into the resultant wines. This seemingly obvious approach was revolutionary in the late 20th Century and it drove an incredible increase in the quality of Tuscan wines in the decades that followed, which is still being seen today. Alberto Longo are simply doing the same in Puglia. The balance and freshness that they achieve in the wines with a pulpy, juicy yet structured palate is remarkably new in Puglia and at times you'd swear they were made by Burgundian-trained winemakers, such is the elegance and finesse. We look forward to more wines from these chaps. We’re officially impressed.