JEMA

Jema is the finest wine of the L'Astore estate — the cru expression of their Primitivo, and arguably the wine in the portfolio that most fully demonstrates what Michele and Pierluigi Travaglini's organic Salento viticulture is capable of at its highest level. The name carries the warmth and directness of the Salento dialect, and the wine delivers both qualities in abundance.

Brilliant and concentrated ruby red in colour — the visual character of a wine of genuine depth and extraction. The nose is very rich, offering a complex bouquet of ripe fruit: cherry, blackberry, and currant arrive first, followed by hints of tobacco and lightly toasted spices that signal the twenty-four months of ageing in Slavonian oak tonneaux that the wine has received. This is not a wine of simple, immediate fruit but one of aromatic layering and genuine complexity.

The great freshness and minerality that the organic farming of the twenty-hectare L'Astore estate reliably delivers to its Primitivo are among Jema's most distinctive qualities — setting it apart from heavier, more extracted expressions of the variety that sacrifice freshness for weight. The tannins pleasantly stand out — present, structured, and genuine rather than softened or manipulated.

In the mouth, the experience deepens: sour cherry in alcohol, notes of chocolate and balsamic complexity, and a full-bodied structure with great acidity that gives pleasure at every sip. The long gustatory persistence — one of the most valued qualities in a serious red wine — extends the experience well beyond what the first impression suggests. Twenty-four months in Slavonian oak tonneaux have integrated and refined the wine's natural power without diminishing its authenticity.

Available through UniqueWines. Arguably the finest Primitivo in the portfolio.