Leone de Castris Salice Salentino Riserva 2020

The Leone de Castris family has been making wines in Salice Salentino for over three centuries, a small village in the region of Puglia, rich in vineyards and olive trees.  In 1665 Duke Oronzo, Earl of Lemos, started the company on the very spot where today’s cellar stands. He became enchanted by this landscape and decided to sell all his properties in Spain in order to draw the best from the Salentine-rich terroir. At the beginning of the 19th century, the winery was exporting bulk wine to the United States, Germany, and France until, with Piero and Lisetta Leone de Castris at the helm, the company started bottling its own wines. Soon after, in 1943, they were the first to bottle a Rosé wine from Italy, called Five Roses Rosato, rightfully becoming a legend in the history of the Italian winemaking tradition. In the ‘60s, the winery direction passed to Cavaliere del Lavoro Salvatore Leone de Castris and in the ‘90s to his son Piernicola Leone de Castris. The estate's winemaker consultant is the esteemed Riccardo Cotarella.

The estate's Salice Salentino red was launched in 1954 and, mainly thanks to the efforts of the Leone de Castris family, Italy granted the DOC status in the early ’70s. Today their Salice Salentino Riserva is made of 95% Negroamaro and 5% Malvasia Nera di Lecce. Negroamaro translates to 'black-bitter' in Italian. The vines of the estate are 40+ years of age planted in clay soils with Apulian head training. Aged in large French oak barrels for 12 months. Serve with roasted red meats, pasta and aged cheeses.

Leone de Castris is also known for its sustainable/organic farming. They were awarded "ECOFRIENDLY" certification by Vini Buoni d'Italia in collaboration with Verallia for environmental efforts including various commitments including:

• A project to plant a Cork Oak Forest is currently underway to contribute to environmental regeneration.
• Sustainable Packaging: Use of lighter bottles to reduce environmental impact.
• Sustainable Practices: The winery is involved in reforestation projects and biodiversity protection.