Rivera  Salice Salentino 2003, D.O.C. Salice Salentino

Colour: very dark and deep red with purple.
Nose: expressive and intense, with many nuances of spicy fruit, phenolic impressions of oak (wood) and leather, vanilla, cinnamon, orange peel, warm soil, not refined but strong and intense with a good balance.
Taste: intense, powerful, medium bodied, with many ripe both sweet and spicy tannins, many nuances of dried fruit (raisins), spices (cinnamon, cloves) black olives and a touch of rosemary. Quite strong wine, not refined, but very potent and warming character.  Very well integrated and restrained, supportive wood.
Finish: quite long, warm, spicy, earthy, fruity, restrained wood, ripe tannins, powerful, very good balance.

* A strong and intense wine with loads of sun drenched earthy and spicy fruit beautifully matching the wood and leather nuances, a powerful wine, well knit together, not refined, but full of hearty, warm impressions, expressing its terroir and grapes beautifully.

- Drink from now on, will improve over the next couple of years, will keep in a good cellar up to five or more years.

- Produced by one of the most reliable, well organized and quality oriented producers in this part of Puglia. An intelligent mix of modern technology, good vineyards, high quality grape varieties and most importantly deep knowledge, skill and passion makes Rivera a superb performer and example in Puglia. An impressive range of very good to excellent wines, is produced: from the freshest rosé (Rivera Rosé 2004) to the most rich, powerful and impressive red (Puer Apuliae Nero di Troia 2002). This Salice is made of mainly Negro Amaro and a small proportion Malvasia Nero grapes, it has matured a short period on wood.

- lotnr.: L.E 26 F

- tasted: 21-03-'05

- estimated retail price ca. 8 euro

- average production: not indicated

- Azienda Vinicola Rivera, Mr. Sebastiano de Corato, SS 98, km 19.800, Contrada Rivera, 70031 Andria (Ba) Italia; Tel. +39-0883 569501; fax.: +39-0883 569575 ; e-mail: info@rivera.it ; web site: www.rivera.it
- export agent: Enoteca Nederland,  Mr. Maarten Bonants, tel.: +31-344613736, fax.: +31-344612550, e-mail: info@enoteca.nl