Overview Estate Owned by: Gianfranco Fino Wine Region: Puglia Winemaker: Gianfranco Fino Total Acreage Under Vine: 20 Estate Founded: 2004 Winery Production: 18,000 Bottles

Location Located in Manduria in the region of Puglia. The region is normally hot during the day, the cooler evening hours see small congregations of people in the city centers and piazzas. Puglia is known for a decidedly more rustic style of wine, which can be experienced with its four DOCG wines. Primitivo di Manduria DOC is a wine made from Primitivo, the Italian cousin to Zinfandel, which results in a high-alcohol, spicy version of the popular American wine.

History Gianfranco Fino started his searched for a vineyard with extremely peculiar characteristic: oldness, bush cultivation in red soil, good density of planting, scarce vigor and proper grape clone. In January 2004 he and his wife Simona purchased a very small, 50 year old vineyard in the Manduria region of Puglia. In 2006, two other small plots were saved from being uprooted and added to the estate. Today, the estate covers 20 acres, including a little plot of 40-year old Negroamaro vines near the sea

Philosophy From the very beginning, Gianfranco Fino’s focus has been about quality and obsessive attention to his vineyards: no compromises, no short cuts. The couple’s passion for winemaking led them to seek out a vineyard with the perfect combination of characteristics: vine maturity, bush cultivation in red soil, good planting density, controlled vigor, and proper clonal selection.

Winemaking Fino allows the grapes to dry on the vines for a bit of time before collecting them. He hand- harvests all the grapes, taking special care to make sure that each bunch is free of mold and perfectly ripe. In the winery, he believes in using a healthy balance of new and inert oak to give the wines a hint of barrel aging without covering up any of his terroir’s expression.

Es Primitivo di Manduria DOC 100% Primitivo According to Sigmund Freud, "Es" is defined as instinct and wild passion; a passion which does not give into rules or compromises. Es submits to one principle only: pleasure. Aromas of red fruit, pepper, sweet spices and cardamom. Pair with foods such as gnocchi bathed in tomato sauces, roasted lamb shank, and braised beef.