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Gianfranco Fino Viticoltore
Gianfranco Fino's Es is a cult Primitivo from old alberello vines near Manduria, aged about nine months in French oak. Powerful near 16% vol, it shows blackberry, plum, cocoa and liquorice. A benchmark Puglian red built for rich meat and the cellar.
Es is built from old alberello Primitivo on red soil around Manduria, fermented in steel and aged about nine months in French oak. That ripeness and barrique time shape a deep, dark-fruited red that drinkers consistently rate at 4.4 on Vivino across nearly ten thousand bottles.
Intense ruby red in the glass, with the producer describing a sweep of myrtle, jujube and wild fruit over plum, carob and cocoa. Around nine months in French oak adds chocolate, sweet spice and a balsamic, liquorice lift that Vivino drinkers flag again and again.
Violet
Black cherry
Blackberry
Plum
Prune
Tobacco
Liquorice
CocoaFull, ample and persistent, as you would expect from old alberello Primitivo on Manduria's red soil picked at the end of August. Tannins are ripe and oak-sweetened rather than austere; near-16% alcohol carries blackberry, prune and dark cherry without tipping into heat.
Long and warm, closing on cocoa, tobacco and dried fig with the licorice-balsamic thread that runs through the wine. Oak and ripe fruit hold the line well after the glass is empty.
Es is the single bottle that recast Primitivo as serious wine, and the Vivino crowd agrees at 4.4 from nearly ten thousand ratings. This is a cult, cellar-worthy red for rich meat and a special occasion, not an everyday glass.
Es is a small-production wine, so vintages move quickly and prices sit near sixty pounds in the UK. The 2022 and 2023 both show here; check the vintage you are buying, as the warm 2022 and the rainier 2023 drink a little differently.
A sixty-pound, near-16% Primitivo is a special-occasion and cellar bottle, not an everyday pour. It scores highest for rich food and the cellar, lowest for value and everyday drinking.
As the wine that made Primitivo collectible, Es is built for a celebration or a serious dinner with rich food.
Ripe Primitivo tannin, sweet oak and near-16% alcohol make Es a powerful match for rich braised and grilled red meat.
Concentration from old alberello vines plus nine months in French oak let strong vintages of Es hold and improve for a decade.
It is a classic indigenous grape but an austere, high-alcohol, oak-framed and expensive bottle, so not an easy first Italian red.
Scoring is rule-based and deterministic. The model and weightings are documented in our Wine Fit Score methodology.
A compact view of what the Primitivo di Manduria denomination actually requires, and how this bottle sits inside it. Pulled from the official Italian disciplinare.
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8wines
8wines
Puglia 2022 was hot and dry, giving a concentrated, higher-alcohol Es near 16.5% vol. The 2023 fought rain and downy mildew that cut yields, but the surviving fruit ripened well into a slightly fresher wine near 15.5% vol.
Puglia 2023 battled spring rain and downy mildew that cut yields sharply, but late-season heat ripened the surviving fruit into a slightly fresher Es near 15.5% vol. Falstaff scored it 97; give it a year or two to settle.
Puglia 2022 was hot and dry, a favourable season for heat-loving Primitivo that gave a deeply concentrated Es near 16.5% vol. Built to hold, with critics rating it from Falstaff 96 to Vinous 98.
Puglia 2023 battled spring rain and downy mildew that cut yields sharply, but late-season heat ripened the surviving fruit into a slightly fresher Es near 15.5% vol. Falstaff scored it 97; give it a year or two to settle.
Drink-now / hold guidance reflects general style cues for this wine, not a forecast for a specific bottle. Where vintage-level editorial notes exist, they appear above.
Gianfranco and Simona Fino began in 2004 with 1.3 hectares of old bush Primitivo, and Es quickly became the wine critics use to argue Primitivo can be fine wine. It has taken Gambero Rosso Tre Bicchieri, Veronelli 97 and Luca Maroni 98 in recent vintages.
Italian wine law sorts bottles into a pyramid. DOCG sits at the top: tightly drawn boundaries, prescribed grapes, mandatory ageing, government tasting before release. DOC is the same idea with looser thresholds. IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica) is broader still, requiring only that 85% of the grapes come from the named territory.
Primitivo di Manduria is in the DOC tier. That is not a quality verdict, it is a description of how much freedom the producer has at vinification and ageing.
Primitivo di Manduria falls within Puglia , covering Taranto and Brindisi: the Ionian flank of the Salento around Manduria.
Es comes from old bush-trained vines on Manduria's red soil that Fino keeps at very low yields, so each hectare makes few, concentrated bottles.
Fruit is picked by hand at the end of August into plastic cases, moved in refrigerated trucks and sorted on a table, all labour the producer pays for before fermentation.
The producer ages Es about nine months in French oak, then six months in bottle before release, adding barrel cost and a year of held stock.
Tre Bicchieri, Veronelli 97 and Luca Maroni 98 plus a 4.4 Vivino average from nearly ten thousand drinkers push secondary prices for older Es above 400 euro.
Fino bottles Es as Salento Primitivo IGT rather than a tightly ageing-mandated DOCG, so there is no long mandatory cellaring cost baked into the price.
UK still-wine duty is 2.67 pounds per bottle at 15% ABV or below; the 2022 near 16.5% falls into the higher band, and 20% VAT adds about 10 pounds on a 60 pound price.
Es carries ripe tannin, near-16% alcohol and sweet oak spice, so it wants rich, slow-cooked meat rather than delicate plates. The structural job is to meet fat and protein, not to refresh a light dish.
Es carries ripe, oak-sweetened tannin and near-16% alcohol, which cut cleanly through the fat and gelatine of long braises. The wine's blackberry and prune depth mirrors the caramelised, reduced sauces of Italian brasato and stracotto.
Try with: Brasato al Barolo · Ossobuco alla Milanese · Agnello Ragu Lucano · Lamb shank · More pairings →
Char and seared protein give the wine's firm Primitivo tannins something to grip, softening them on the palate. The end-of-August ripeness behind Es means there is enough sweet fruit to balance a smoky, fatty crust.
Try with: Fiorentina steak · Ribeye steak · Rack of lamb · Roast Lamb with Mint Sauce
The full, persistent body the producer describes stands up to the strong, gamey flavours of venison and cinghiale. Cocoa and tobacco notes from nine months in French oak echo the earthy depth of slow-cooked game.
Try with: Venison Stew · Wild boar ragu · Roast Pheasant · More pairings →
Aged Pecorino and mature hard cheese bring salt and fat that the wine's alcohol and tannin slice through. The liquorice and dried-fig register in Es plays off the nutty, crystalline character of a well-aged sheep's cheese.
Try with: Pecorino sardo e pan carasau · Cheese board · Strong cheddar cheese
Es has the sweet dark fruit and oak spice to match sticky, smoky barbecue without being overwhelmed. Its concentration mirrors caramelised glazes while near-16% alcohol keeps pace with the richness.
Try with: BBQ ribs · Korean BBQ · Roast pork · More pairings →
The wine grows beside the food, so it bridges naturally to Puglian and southern lamb ragu and baked pasta. Ripe Primitivo fruit settles the acidity of long-cooked tomato while its body carries the meat.
Try with: Agnello Ragu Lucano · Lamb bhuna · Beef stew
Near-16% alcohol amplifies chilli burn, so fiery dishes turn the wine hot and bitter rather than refreshing. Equally, the oak and tannin of Es flatten delicate white fish and raw seafood, which need a crisp Italian white instead.
Skip with: Szechuan beef · Crispy chilli beef · sushi · oysters · Pairing guide →
Es is concentrated and oak-framed enough to hold and improve for a decade from a strong vintage. The 2022 is a keeper; the 2023 is best given a couple of years for its fresher frame to knit.
Peak around 2029. Best in the years above; holds without falling over either side.
A short splash decant softens the first-pour edge and opens the aromatics.
Concentration from old alberello vines plus nine months in French oak let strong vintages of Es hold and improve for a decade.
£45.95 is the lowest tracked offer for the current vintage and we have no signal of further discounting.
Read directly from each retailer’s public product page once a day. Last refresh: 11 Aug 2026, 17:56 BST. We do not hold stock and we do not accept payment for placement.
Confidence · HighNotes published by the producer, quoted with attribution.
Confidence · HighFrom the official Italian disciplinare for this denomination, cross-checked against the Ministry of Agriculture register.
Confidence · HighOur reading of the price, drawn from the disciplinare, public UK duty rates, and typical landed-cost benchmarks. Not a quote from the producer or a retailer.
Confidence · MediumStyle guidance for this kind of wine at this price point. Treat it as advice, not a forecast for the bottle in your hand.
Confidence · MediumEs is 100% Primitivo, grown on old alberello (bush-trained) vines on red soil around Manduria and Sava in Puglia. Gianfranco Fino classifies it as Salento Primitivo IGT, though it is widely sold under the Primitivo di Manduria name.
Es is a powerful wine, usually between 15.5% and 16.5% vol depending on the vintage. The hot, dry 2022 reaches around 16.5% vol, while the rainier 2023 sits near 15.5% vol.
A strong vintage of Es can hold and improve for around a decade. It is concentrated and aged about nine months in French oak, so the 2022 will reward cellaring while the fresher 2023 is best after a year or two.
Its ripe tannin and near-16% alcohol suit rich, slow-cooked red meat such as brasato, ossobuco, lamb ragu and grilled steak, plus hard aged cheese. Avoid chilli-hot dishes and delicate seafood, which clash with its power.
Es is a small-production, low-yield wine from old bush vines, hand-harvested and oak-aged, and it carries cult demand after scores like Tre Bicchieri, Veronelli 97 and Luca Maroni 98. UK bottles sit near sixty pounds, with older vintages far higher.
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