“Nero” Rosso del Salento IGT 2021

Conti Zecca | Puglia
Az. Agr. Conti Zecca di Agr. Soc. Coop | V. Cesarea | 73045 Leverano

15092321 · 0,75 l · 38,67 €/l · Price (DE) incl. VAT, excl. Shippingavailable immediately

There are wines that reinvent a region. Nero is one such wine – born from a vision of the Zecca brothers in the early 1980s, when they began experimenting with Cabernet Sauvignon at Tenuta Cantalupi near Salice Salentino. What initially seemed like a gamble turned out to be the most successful wine story in Apulia: the first Nero vintage in 1998 hit like a bomb and won the Tre Bicchieri of the Gambero Rosso for six consecutive years – an achievement that no other Apulian wine has ever equalled. The history of Conti Zecca dates back to 1580, when Francesco Antonio Zecca came from Naples to the fertile lands of Leverano, in the heart of Salento. For centuries, the Zeccas cultivated their vineyards with Negroamaro, Primitivo and Aglianico and became key figures in the European wine trade – relations between the Bourbon kingdom and France, England, Sweden and Denmark passed through their estate. In 1884, Pope Leo XIII awarded the family the title of Count in recognition of their services to the development of the territory. In 1935, Count Alcibiade Zecca founded the modern winery in Leverano and began to vinify his own wines. However, it was his heirs who took the decisive step of combining the indigenous Negroamaro with the international Cabernet Sauvignon.

Nero grows on alluvial soils with limestone inclusions in the municipalities of Leverano and Salice Salentino. The cuvée of seventy per cent Negroamaro and thirty per cent Cabernet Sauvignon is the result of decades of experience – the Negroamaro brings the wild, dark fruitiness and typicality of Salento, while the Cabernet lends structure, finesse and that international format that makes Nero one of the great red wines of southern Italy. The vinification follows a strict protocol: After gentle destemming and soft pressing, the grapes macerate for twelve to fifteen days at 28 degrees before the must ferments at a controlled temperature in stainless steel tanks. Then begins the long ageing process that gives Nero its complexity: 18 months in French barriques, followed by twelve months in large oak barrels of 30 hectolitres, and finally a further six months of bottle ageing. A total of three years before Nero leaves the winery – time that you can taste.

Intense ruby red colour with graceful garnet reflections. The bouquet unfolds a broad, multi-layered spectrum: small red fruits, blackberries, blueberries – blackberries, blueberries – blend with spicy notes of vanilla and liquorice, as well as hints of leather, tar and a touch of paprika. The palate is a revelation: dry, soft and harmonious, with ripe tannins that frame a rich, perfectly structured body. The finish is long, very persistent, carried by that salty minerality that comes from the Salento sun and the chalky soils. Nero is not only the flagship of Conti Zecca – it is a statement about what Puglia has to offer when tradition meets innovation. A wine with impressive ageing potential that proves year after year that great wines do not always have to come from the most famous regions. Sometimes they are created where passion, terroir and five centuries of experience come together. SUPERIORE.DE

"Brilliant ruby colour with a slight garnet hue. Very intense, multi-layered nose, with rich notes of cassis and blackberry, plus some bay leaf and cardamom. Plucky and savoury on the palate, opens with lots of grippy, present tannins, juicy fruit, lingers for a long time." Falstaff

"Hot chocolate, coconut and dried cherries on the nose of this rich, bold red. It’s full-bodied with dusty tannins and concentrated dried fruit and sweet coconut notes. Intense." James Suckling