Flaminio Primitivo Salento 2024 Agricole Vallone

The Flaminio Primitivo Salento IGP 2024 from Agricole Vallone is the benchmark Primitivo from one of the most respected and historic houses of Apulia, a cuvée bearing the name of the domaine's oldest family vineyards, planted on an ancient Messapian site at the gates of San Pietro Vernotico. It is tradition in perpetual evolution according to the words of the Vallone family themselves, intense colours, fruity aromas, generous tannin, and a palate of remarkable balance. A Primitivo that stands out from the most opulent and sweetest versions of the variety by favouring freshness and drinkability, in a direct, fruity and immediately generous style.

Terroir and vineyard

Agricole Vallone is one of the great historic houses of Apulia, founded in Lecce in the early twentieth century and today one of the most respected and consistent producers of Salento. The winemaking cellar is located at the Tenuta Flaminio, in Brindisi, while the ageing cellar and bottling are handled in Copertino, an organisation reflecting the scale and diversity of terroirs covered by the domaine. Despite production capacity of 1.4 million bottles, Agricole Vallone produces only 620,000 per year, a deliberate choice for quality that leads them to sell the remainder as bulk wine rather than compromise excellence in each bottle. The Flaminio vineyard dedicated to Primitivo extends over 10 hectares of argilo-calcareous soils with north-east to south-west exposure, producing an average of only 1.6 kg per vine, a natural constraint that concentrates the aromatic expression and richness of the grapes. Harvest takes place in the first decade of September, after slight partial overripeness on the vine, a technical choice that brings roundness and generosity to the wine without sacrificing freshness. The harvest is both manual and mechanical. Vinification is precise and minimally interventionist: gentle destemming and crushing, fermentation and post-fermentary maceration at controlled temperature in stainless steel vats for approximately 20 days, spontaneous malolactic fermentation, then ageing in concrete vats, a deliberate choice that preserves the freshness, natural acidity, and vitality of the fruit while providing the natural micro-oxygenation that rounds and refines the tannins. Ageing in bottle for one month precedes release to market.

Tasting profile

The colour is an intense ruby red with violet reflections, brilliant and of fine colour density characteristic of Primitivo from Apulia. The nose is rich, expressive, and immediately seductive: aromas of ripe red berries and dark fruits, blackberry, plum, sour cherry, blackcurrant, dominate generously, accompanied by notes of Mediterranean aromatic herbs and pleasant spicy touches of sweet pepper and vanilla. On the palate, the wine is elegant, well structured, and of fine balance: the texture is rich and silky, the tannins are soft and well wrapped, and the fruity acidity present brings a freshness and vivacity that distinguish this Flaminio from the heaviest and most stewed versions of the variety. The finish is long, aromatic, and fruity, with a return of juicy cherry and ripe plum that extends the pleasure with elegance. A Primitivo for immediate pleasure, to be consumed within 3 to 4 years to enjoy all the vivacity and fruity character of youth.

The domaine

Agricole Vallone is one of the emblematic houses of Apulia, founded in Lecce and still directed by the Vallone family who built their reputation on demand for excellence and the valorisation of autochthonous varieties of Salento, Negroamaro, Primitivo, Susumaniello, Verdeca, and Ottavianello. Its flagship wine, the Graticciaia, a Negroamaro from Salento aged on lees, is considered one of the great age-worthy wines of Apulia. The Flaminio range is the most accessible and most generous expression of this tradition of excellence, rooted in the historic vineyards surrounding the Tenuta Flaminio on an ancient Messapian site.

Food pairings

This Flaminio Primitivo will pair beautifully with pasta with sausages and grilled peppers, wood-fired pizza topped with tomato and anchovies, characterful Italian charcuterie, salami, coppa, nduja from Apulia, grilled lamb with garrigue herbs, aubergines stuffed with meat, or a platter of hard cheeses such as aged Pecorino or Asiago. Served between 14 and 16°C, slightly cool, it will reveal all the fruity generosity and sunny character of an Apulian Primitivo in its finest sincerity.