Masseria Li Veli, “Primonero” Negroamaro Salento IGT 2021 (about $18)
Italian Wine for august 2023
The Masseria Li Veli winery is located in Puglia’s Brindisi province on the Adriatic coastline. While originally founded in the late 19th century, Li Veli’s modern history starts about a century later in the late 1990’s when the timeworn estate was acquired by the Falvo family.
Flush with funds from the sale of their historic and prestigious Avignonesi winery in Tuscany, the Falvo family undertook an ambitious project of renovation and replanting with the goal of enhancing both wine quality and brand recognition. Sales and wine quality soon increased and Masseria Li Veli achieved a measure of distinction as one of Puglia’s premier producers.
The Falvo brothers, Edoardo and Alfredo, are the current managers of the estate while production is overseen by consulting winemaker Riccardo Cotarella, one of the most famous names in Italian winemaking today.
Li Veli today has 6 separate vineyard sites with a total of 
120 acres under vine. It has an extensive portfolio of wines with an emphasis on those made with traditional varieties from the Salento area such as Primitivo, Negroamaro, Verdeca and Susumaniello.
The estate’s 2021 “Primonero” is made entirely of Negroamaro, one of the area’s signature varieties that is ideally suited to Salento’s hot and dry climate. The grapes are harvested in mid-September from the estate’s newer plantings, fermented in steel tanks at controlled temperatures and aged for 6 months in French oak barriques and 3 months in the bottle prior to release for sale.
The wine has an intense ruby red color with black cherry and plum flavors etched with some kitchen spice notes. It is mid-to-full-bodied with a full, rich and silky mouthfeel, soft-edged tannins and a long, pleasant finish with some well-placed spice notes, all enhanced by a relatively modest retail price tag. It’s a fully-mature, food-friendly and delicious wine that’s ready to drink now.
I’ve tasted several different Li Veli wines in recent years and they’ve never failed to impress at any price point.
©Richard Marcis
August 8, 2023
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