On the first sniff the wine gives the impression that not everything went well during vinification, but maybe it is just a very simple wine. A simplicity that is confirmed in the mouth, where matter is clearly missing and not much get expressed.
Not too unpleasant, but nothing to praise neither. It completely lacks the agreeable fruitiness typical of this kind of southern Italian wines and it doesn’t have any persistence worth mentioning.
I don’t remember exactly how much I paid when I bought this Salento IGT wine last year, while visiting Tenute Al Bano in Cellino San Marco (Apulia), the mansion/resort dedicated by the famous singer to “tradition”. I recall it to be around 14 EUR, but I could be off by a couple of EUR.
When I bought it, I had the impression that a couple was also the overcharge for the “value added” given by the brand “Al Bano” (the famous Italian singer). Now that I get to consider the quality of the wine closely, I believe that the premium is much more than that.
Undoubtedly Albano Carrisi is very good at playing with the emotions linked to land, family and tradition. The wine is named after his father and, as it is reported rather poetically on the back label, it his dedicated to his memory. Probably very effective marketing. Unfortunately the wine is and remains mediocre.
A final note: with time in the glass the wine didn’t get any better and I put it on the side for cooking.
Country: Italy
Region: Puglia
Grapes: Negroamaro, Primitivo
Type: Red
Vintage: 2014
Producer: Tenute Al Bano
Price range: Medium (15-30 US$)
Pascal’s Enjoyment Index: 1/5