Cristiano Guttarolo’s vineyards lie far, far away from the low-slung Pugliese plains that produce much of the hot, flabby and over-extracted wine that we’ve unfortunately become conditioned to in Italy’s deepest south. On a plateau of limestone, some 1200 ft above sea level, Guttarolo’s vines benefit from cooler daytime temperatures and gusty sea breezes, while the site’s elevation offers a fluctuation between day and night temperatures, allowing the grapes to ripen fully while retaining freshness and finesse. While the wines are unmistakably Pugliese–full of wild, sun-drenched fruit–they have a balance often missing around these parts, one that allows the grape and place to sing and the drinker to enjoy the beautiful minerality that these limestone-riddled ‘karst’ soils impart. Vineyard work is excellent, organic and done entirely by hand, while in the cellar Cristiano eschews the use of additives entirely as these are the sort of wines he likes to drink.
This beautiful expression of Susumaniello was fermented on the skins for a week, before being pressed to terracotta amphorae for a short rest. There is a luminous quality to the fruit here that is incredibly uplifting, with crisp, clean notes of red cherry and wild herbs and chalky tannins making for a wine with a beautiful sense of place.