M�rke: Castello Monaci

LIANTE
SALICE SALENTINO DOC

Not far from the town of Lecce and from the sea, on the road to Taranto, at the gates of Salice Salentino, centuries-old olive trees and luxuriant vineyards surround Castello Monaci.
The long corridor which links the main road to the castle is a line which goes through the estate, a meridian which divides the vineyards and opens the gates to the modern cellar. Here spreads the sun which floods the land with light and creates unique shapes, like the fruits to which it gives birth. Castello

Monaci. Crafted by the sun.
Liante or “Wind of the Levant”, the icy wind of winter and the hot one of summer, which blows strongly over much of the Adriatic and particularly in Puglia, is the name chosen for this Salice Salentino, a name evocative of a land which breathes, dedicated to its best indigenous grapes, a lively, generous, intense name like the place from which it comes.

Grapes: 80% negroamaro, 20% malvasia nera di Lecce.

Vineyard: parcels trained by the alberello Pugliese and cordone speronato systems on deep, dry limestone-clay-siliceous soil; the average yield is 90 quintals per hectare.

Vinification: the grapes are picked by hand and, because they ripen at different times, are separately vinified. First the negroamaro which ripens after the first ten days of September and next the malvasia nera. The harvesting only takes place very early in the morning. The vinification
is carried out at a controlled temperature in stainless steel tanks, with 10-12 days maceration and daily remontages. After the malolactic fermentation and the assemblage, part of the wine matures in French barriques while the rest develops in steel.

Wine: deep ruby-red colour; intense and complex bouquet with hints of wild cherry conserve, dried plums, chocolate and vanilla; powerful, warm and balanced flavour with an elegant aftertaste of very ripe fruit and spices, with a pleasant balsamic finish and slightly bitter aftertaste of green almonds.

Analytical details: 13.00 % alcohol; 5.50g/l total acidity; 3.60pH; 3.8g/l residual sugar; 30g/l dry extract.

Optimum keeping: 5/6 years in bottles stored horizontally in cool, dark conditions.

Food matches: roast and stewed red meats, lamb, kid, mature cheeses.

Serving temperature: 16-18°C.