The 99pt, $15 Italian Red!

If you were going to design an ideal climate in Italy for growing bold and powerful red wines, youd end up with something a lot like Puglia.

The heel of the boot enjoys the sunshine youd expect for such a southerly latitude, with rocky soils to challenge the vines and plentiful ocean breezes to lengthen the growing season. The region is much more focused on agriculture than the culture of fine wine, which is why todays $15 Lupo Meraviglia is an expensive bottle by local standards.

With an incredible 99 points from Italian critic Luca Maroni, this is one of the top bottles in the regionand one of our favorite reds weve ever tasted at this price. Its bold and dark-fruited, juicy and ripe, enhanced by tiny aromatic touches of florals and tobacco to keep everything in check.

In a lot of ways, Puglia reminds us of Paso Robles in the 1980s: There are a few wineries doing really compelling things, but theyre still building a market, so many of the best bottles remain extremely affordable.

Like Paso, Puglia grows an array of intense red grapes: Primitivo, which is nearly identical genetically to Zinfandel; Negro Amaro, named for its dark pigment; and powerful Aglianico, native to the area around Naples but also built to thrive in the heat of the Salento peninsula.

After picking the grapes at optimal ripeness, Meraviglia uses a salasso techniquethe French call it saignebleeding off 2030% of the liquid early in the winemaking process. Its costly to discard this, but doing so increases the skin-to-juice ratio, providing deeper color and fruit, making for a more powerful, intense wine.

This is the perfect bottle to have on hand for summer and fall. Its dynamite with anything meaty and grilled, and inexpensive enough to pour for the backyard-barbecue crowd. We kicked off cookout season by pouring it with smoked chicken and garlic-butter crowned burgers, but it will be a darling with a veggie tagine when fall rolls around. Make sure you have enough to last that longat this price, theres no downside!

A dark ruby core with a hint of purple. The aromas of summer-ripe black cherry and blackberry notes are embraced by a purple flower bouquet, with hints of vanilla, tobacco, and amaro. The mouthfeel is plush and juicy, with great silky tannins and a long-lasting finish. A lush, bold, and dense red. Drink now2030.

Wine Access is committed to protecting your privacy.
Please read our privacy policy.
Copyright 2024 Wine Access, Inc. All rights reserved.

By law, this product may only be shipped to the following states:
AK, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DE, DC, FL, GA, HI, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY.
"Shipping included" offer does not apply to shipments to Hawaii and Alaska.
Special conditions apply for DE, MD, ME, NJ, NY, RI, SD, and TX.