Michele and Pierluigi Travaglini farm twenty organic hectares in Salento with a passion that is, as they describe it, a natural continuation of decades of viticulture. Their estate preserves some of Salento's rarest indigenous varieties — including Susumaniello and Malvasia Bianca Antica — alongside the Primitivo that produces their finest wine, the cru Jema. Certified organic. Ampelographic collection. Available through UniqueWines.
Michele and Pierluigi Travaglini live by such passion for wine as a natural continuation of decades of viticulture. Their total dedication to their territory, to their vineyards, and their desire to build a future in the lands that saw them grow — these are the driving forces for expressing viticulture in a modern key: adding innovation, constant development of quality, and the preservation of their roots and local traditions.
L'Astore was born from a clean and sustainable agriculture, certified organic from grapes. A wine tradition since the 1940s guides their approach, and the estate holds 20 hectares of the cultivars Negramaro, Primitivo, Malvasia Nera, Malvasia Bianca Antica, and Susumaniello — the latter a result of a search for native varieties now extinct in most of Salento, which has led to new experimental plantings and a real ampelographic collection. All wines are certified produced from organic grapes.
JEMA is the estate's Primitivo — arguably its finest wine and its cru expression. Brilliant and concentrated ruby red, very rich on the nose with a complex bouquet of ripe fruit: cherry, blackberry, and currant, with hints of tobacco and lightly toasted spices. Great freshness and minerality with tannins that pleasantly stand out. In the mouth: sour cherry in alcohol, notes of chocolate and balsamic. Full-bodied wine with great acidity, giving pleasure to each sip. Long gustatory persistence. Aged 24 months in Slavonian oak tonneaux.
ALBERELLI DI PRIMITIVO is the estate's second Primitivo expression — ruby red with impressive texture. To the nose, rich, elegant, and fresh with notes of black cherry, plum, American tobacco, bay leaf, liquorice, eucalyptus, myrtle, and tamarind in a delicately spiced blanket. On the palate, enchantment of balance and velvet harmony with refreshing balsamic puffs on the finish.
MALVASIA BIANCA is the estate's indigenous white — intense ruby red with violet reflections (the catalogue notes this is a red-tinged expression of the variety). Golden yellow in the nose, with exotic, fruity, and floral scents: acacia flowers, broom, lavender, honey, oregano, tangerine. Sapidity and minerality in perfect balance. Persuasive, enveloping, and rightly acid on the palate, with a light veil of tannin making each sip greedy.
SUSUMANIELLO is the estate's rarest offering — from one of Salento's most endangered native varieties. Intense ruby red with violet reflections; hints of red fruits especially pomegranate, black cherry, plum, and blackberry. Balsamic notes on a spicy background of vanilla, cloves, and green pepper, with a bouquet of dried flowers. Full, complex, and elegant in the mouth. Fresh and pleasantly tannic. Well balanced, persistent, with a long finish.
L'Astore is available through UniqueWines. Their commitment to the preservation and expression of Salento's indigenous varieties makes them one of the most important organic producers in the portfolio.
