Published by Jeremy.
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Italy is one of those countries we go back to again and again in our quest to try new grapes, and the red grape, Susumaniello, from Puglia was high on our list.
Masseria Li Veli's Susumaniello was an interesting and complex red on the aromas that, admittedly, was a bit less complex on the palate than we would prefer. That said, if you are a fan of Cabernet, this one will be right up your alley!
Susumaniello is an Interesting Red from Southern Italy
This southern Italian red was medium ruby in color with medium aromas of black cherry, leather, tobacco, cedar, clove, cinnamon, dried leaves, blueberry, blackberry, vanilla, and nutmeg.
On the palate, it was dry with high acidity, smooth tannin, and alcohol, medium body and flavor intensity, plus a medium(+) finish. We had notes of cassis, black raspberry, blueberry, dried red cherry, cranberry, pomegranate, and forest floor to name a few.
This was one of those wines that was a bit more complex and interesting in the aroma over the flavor, but after it opened up a bit, it reminded us a lot of a Cabernet Sauvignon all around.
Susumaniello Food Pairing – Smoked Brisket
We paired this intense red wine with smoked brisket as we thought the fatty meat would do well with the high tannins and robust flavors. The fat most certainly masked the tannins nicely, and some of the earthy notes were replaced with more dried fruit than what we had originally picked up in the initial tasting- red and black fruits were present here.
Score: 2.5 / 5
We're okay on this one, but we would buy a glass in the right context.
Overall, we have to admit that we found the flavor profile of this one to be a bit lacking compared to the more interesting aroma notes that we got, particularly on the secondary and tertiary side of the spectrum. We could always be persuaded to try a glass of this one with the right food pairing if it was found on a menu (read: with a meat-focused dish like our brisket pairing), but otherwise, we are okay.
Masseria Li Veli is located at S.P. Cellino-Campi, Km 1, 72020 in Cellino San Marco BR, Italy. We purchased this bottle on Wine.com and enjoyed it in 2024.
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