M�rke: Castello Monaci

MARU
NEGROAMARO SALENTO IGT

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.
Maru or “severe, dark” in the Salentino dialect is the name chosen for this negroamaro, 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: 100% negroamaro.

Vineyard: parcels trained by the alberello Pugliese and cordone speronato systems on deep, dry limestone-clay-siliceous soil; the average yield is 75 quintals of grapes per hectare.

Vinification: the grapes are picked very early in the morning and are immediately taken to the cellars to be crushed. There follows the vinification in steel tanks, with 10 days maceration and frequent remontages. Once the malolactic fermentation has taken place, part of the wine matures for 6 months in French barriques of various toastings, while the rest stays in steel.

Wine: garnet-red colour; intense bouquet with notes of Mediterranean scrub and eucalyptus; full and satisfying flavour even if slightly bitter, round, and of excellent structure.

Analytical details: 13.00% alcohol; 5.60g/l total acidity; 3.55pH; 3g/l residual sugar; 30g/l dry extract.

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

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

Serving temperature: 16-18°