2024 Masseria Li Veli 'Orion' Salento Primitivo, Italy

Dense ruby red with a purplish rim, it is immediately intense on the nose with marked aromas of ripe and fleshy red fruits, notably cherries followed by spicy notes of cinnamon and nutmeg; in the mouth it is full, powerful, smooth and very long, with a well defined acid streak which makes it fresh and pleasing.

Loved for its inky, brambly, fruit-driven wines, the Primitivo grape actually has Croatian origin. Primitivo landed in Italy in the late 1800s and became an important variety in the hot, dry, southern region of Puglia. Here it was named from the Latin word, primativus, meaning "first to ripen." Somm Secret—No one knew Primitivo and Zinfandel were the same until 1994 when DNA profiling at UC Davis finally revealed the link. The grape goes by the name of Tribidrag in Croatia and is a parent to Plavac Mali.

Masseria Li Veli is a quality-focused winery in the Salento peninsula of southern Puglia, founded in 1999 and now part of the Grupo Vinos del Pacífico portfolio. The estate is centered on a restored historic masseria near Cellino San Marco and farms several hundred hectares across Salento, with a strong emphasis on native southern Italian varieties such as Primitivo, Negroamaro, Malvasia Nera, Verdeca, and Susumaniello. From the outset, Li Veli positioned itself against the region’s former bulk-wine identity, investing in site selection, clonal research, and modern cellar facilities to produce structured, regionally expressive wines rather than high-volume blends. Vineyard parcels are matched carefully to grape variety and soil type, and yields are controlled to maintain balance in Salento’s warm climate. The winery has become a reference point for contemporary, terroir-aware winemaking in Puglia, combining modern precision with a clear focus on indigenous grapes and regional character.