Winery: Layer Cake

Wine: Primitivo 2006

Location: Apulia Region, Italy

Purchased: Party House

Price: $16.99

 

Layer Cake Primitivo was recommended by a close friend, typically she knows our likes and dislikes, and I read excellent reviews. This wine had intrigued me for a while, however, I passed the bottle in the store several times. Finally, I bought a bottle when I saw the price three dollars less than at any other store.

 

Primitivo is a close relative of the Zinfandel grape so I had high hopes for this wine. I expected a spicy, peppery wine, but that was not at all what this wine presented. Instead, the nose found lush berries, blackberries and black cherries. It offers a beautiful appearance in the glass deep, rich and purple in color. It was nice to look at and smell, the taste left something to be desired.

 

On first sip, a slight sweetness touches the palate, but it is warm and rich in the mouth. Primitivo has a mild finish, not overpowering to the average drinker. However, the longer this bottle was open the more the sweetness presented itself. The wine became sweet and syrupy as it turned warm. It did not hold it’s structure well.

 

 

“My grandfather made and enjoyed wine for 80 years,” said Layer Cake winemaker Jayson Woodbridge. “He told me the soil in which the vines lived were a layer cake. If properly made, the wine from these vines was like a delicious cake layered with fruit, mocha, chocolate and hits of spice – and rich, always rich.”