Italian Value Red-Wine Face-Off: Sangiovese Vs Primitivo

Italy has a long red wine making heritage. It is also most highly-regarded for its well-known, costly, highly-rated red wines: the super-Tuscans, Barolos and the like. Here, we will move to the other end of the spectrum... to the value red wines. We will compare two value-priced Italian red wines: a reasonably well-aged Di Majo Norante Sangiovese (tasted young and then retasted with a couple additional years of age) and a currently-released Luce Barocca Salento Primitivo.

Original Review, Di Majo Norante Sangiovese, April 2007:

The Di Majo Norante Sangiovese line has been earning very decent Parker scores in recent years, despite often selling inexpensively in the single digits. Let see what kind of stuffing the 2004 has got... Color is a very deep red, moving to opaque in the center of the glass. Upon swirling, the raspberry and cherry aromas leap from the glass into the room. On closer examination, there is also a scorched dirt smell. On the palate, the wine brings in a first note of acids, followed by a slightly vegetably fruit. Tastes much "pinker" than its deep opaque color would suggest - by that I mean light and acidic. Not unpleasant, but I don't believe I need to drink the wine again; so that's two stars in my book. I don't see that additional years in bottle would do much to enhance the wine.

By way of comparison, Robert Parker gave this 90 points and said it was one of the world's best values in Sangiovese. He noted aromas of strawberries, black cherries and damp earth. He also recommended purchase by the case. Welll, if I did have a case of it, at the time of this wine's release, I would have been willing to sell you the rest of mine.

Updated Review, Di Majo Norante Sangiovese, May 2009:

Two year later now... Color is consistent: still a deep red, turning towards opaque, now with just a hint of bricking at the fringes. Swirling now, you get a deeper, funkier, huskier blackberry, almost overripe. On the palate, this is sweet, fruity, mid-palate coating stuff - the "pinkness" and acids have given way to a smooth, silty-rich fruit. Finish is modest in length, and pleasant. Moving this to three stars now. I believe that - five years past its original vintage date - the Di Majo Norante Sangiovese is drinking as well as it ever will. An outstanding value with a few years on the bottle!

Find Di Majo Norante Sangiovese at WineZap.

Review: Luce Barocca Salento Primitivo:

The Luce Barocca Salento Primitivo, 2006, from Italy, is made from primitivo grapes (similar, if not identical, to the zinfandel grapes of California). The wine has aged in French oak.

Luce Barocca Salento Primitivo,hails from Marco Maci wine growers, who have approximately 100 hectares planted to vines in the area.

Luce Barocca Salento Primitivo,Salento Primitivo is light to medium red in the glass, almost veering to brick at the edges, despite its young age. Aroma is deep, spongy and fruity, like ringing ripe plums from a twisted towel.

On the palate, a simple, slightly funky fruit catches the middle of your mouth. A mild rope of tannins and a touch of acids follow to your cheeks. Finish flashes by. Pleasant enough. Not memorable, though not objectionable. Doesn't seem to want more age. Two stars out of five.

Find Luce Barocca at WineZap.