2022 Podere 29 “Gelso D Oro” Nero Di Troia
We head far south to the sun-baked, wind-swept coast of northern Puglia to discover Podere 29. Situated in the Daunia
Producer
Podere 29
I have reviewed one wine from Podere 29: the 2022 Podere 29 “Gelso D Oro” Nero Di Troia (92 points).
Podere 29 sits in the Daunia, the sun-baked, wind-swept northern corner of Puglia near the Adriatic, a zone better known for bulk wine than ambition. The estate farms organically and has staked its identity on Nero di Troia, the area’s historic and famously difficult red: late-ripening, high in tannin and easy to get wrong.
Unlike the jammy Primitivo of southern Puglia, Nero di Troia behaves differently in this coastal pocket. The vines grow on sandy, mineral-rich soils constantly ventilated by salty sea breezes, which temper the heat and allow a long, slow ripening that preserves acidity and aromatics.
“Gelso d’Oro”, or golden mulberry, is named after the ancient mulberry trees on the property and is the estate’s crown jewel. Inky ruby, it opens with the grape’s signature crushed violets, then blackberry, dried fig and cocoa. Powerful yet fresh, with velvety tannins, it shows the grape handled with restraint, a soulful red for braised meats or aged pecorino and northern Puglia’s most persuasive argument for quality.