Masseria Li Veli Pezzo Morgana Salice Salentino Riserva 2021

The 2021 Masseria Li Veli Pezzo Morgana Salice Salentino Riserva makes a grand entrance with its stout bottle and noble label. And, it more than lives up to appearances from the moment its dark purple liquid splashes from the bottle and a heady aroma wafts from the glass. Regally robed in purple, Li Veli’s 2021 Pezzo Morgana Riserva – made from 100% Negroamaro – opens with the tantalizing scents of ripe blackberry, plum, and dark cherry infused with hints of Christmas spice and polished wood. Equally impressive in the mouth, this robust red delights the palate with rich fruit, spice, and a smooth texture, which follows through in the wine’s delightfully long finish. Bold, but not brazen, rich but not flabby, the youthful 2021 Li Veli Pezzo Morgana Riserva comports itself in noble fashion from beginning to end. Nonetheless, this delicious Riserva has a wonderfully long life ahead and should continue to improve in bottle for years to come. For optimum enjoyment, afford Li Veli’s 2021 Pezzo Morgana Salice Salentino Riserva at least 15-20 minutes of aeration before enjoying it at cool room temperature (58°-64° F). Anticipated maturity: 2025-2032. Enjoy!

As the quintessential Southern Italian red, Masseria Li Veli’s 2021 Pezzo Morgana Salice Salentino Riserva deserves a place at the finest of tables, though it is hardly a snob. It complements Southern Italian classics, even pizza, as well as it does a savory porchetta, garlic and herb encrusted leg of lamb, beef tenderloin, or game. For a simple mid-week meal, consider a regional classic, Bucatini al Sugo, a thin tube shaped pasta, which is served with a hearty tomato sauce. Orecchiette con Porcine e Fiorelli, ear shaped noodles with porcini mushrooms and zucchini flowers, makes another fine companion. And, of course, Eggplant Parmigiana, Grandma’s Lasagna, and any of your local trattoria’s cheese and tomato-rich dishes will be in splendid company with Masseria Li Veli’s 2021 Pezzo Morgana Salice Salentino Riserva. Buon Appetito!

Li Veli is an ancient dwelling place with millennia of human habitation and a venerable oenological history. Located in southern Italy in the Salento region of Apulia (aka Puglia), Li Veli sits halfway between two seas: the Adriatic Sea laps on one side and the Ionian Sea on the other, providing ideal conditions for the cultivation of Puglia’s indigenous varietals, including Fiano, Negroamaro, Primitivo, and the rare Susumaniello.

Li Veli sprang to life in its present form at the end of the 19th century when Marchese Antonio de Viti de Marco purchased the crumbling masseria and restored it to serve as a modern wine cellar and working winery. Completing the restoration in 1895, Masseria Li Veli became a model of Apulian viticulture and flourished through the 1950s before falling into disrepair and languishing along with its neighbors through much of the second half of the 20th century.

In 1999, the Falvo family, former owners of the illustrious Avignonesi winery in Tuscany and producers of outstanding Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, purchased the masseria and 128 acres of land, resurrecting the venerable Li Veli estate. Through expert vineyard management and vinification of Apulia’s indigenous grape varieties, Li Veli once again established itself as a leader in Apulian viticulture and wine production. Deep, rich, full-bodied red wines predominate with Negroamaro, Primitivo and Susumaniello leading the charge. Fiano and a host of other varietals also serve as benchmarks for this ancient property.

Masseria is the term used in southern Italy’s Puglia region for a large fortified farmhouse surrounded by walls. Within the walls of a masseria are many buildings, some of which would house local workers and their families along with considerable farm equipment. Many such fortified farms sprung up throughout Italy and were in many cases tiny villages, remnants of a feudal system that was not officially outlawed until 1950.

Salice Salentino, one of southern Italy’s most important DOC’s and the region’s eponymous wine, gained official status in 1976. Produced in the area around the municipality of Salice in the ancient province of Apulia, the region has long been known for its rich, deeply colored red wines. The indigenous Negroamaro grape variety forms the heart and soul of most of the red wines that emanate from Salice Salentino with the autonchonous Aleatico also occasionally represented as a varietal or playing a supporting role to Negroamaro in Salice Salentino’s red wines. Although renowned for its robust red wines, Salice Salentino increasingly fashions excellent white and rosé wines, too.