Taste Our New Primitivo Reserve
At Opolo, we are a house of Zinfandel—and that legacy now extends to our inaugural bottling of Primitivo, which was released today. Indeed, Primitivo is the Italian twin to Zinfandel, making it a natural fit for the Opolo family of wines.
The limited-edition 2021 Primitivo belongs to our Opolo Reserve Collection. It comes from our estate To the Moon Vineyard in the Willow Creek District, where calcareous soils and coastal breezes create a varietally expressive wine.
Spicy Siblings
As for the connection between Zinfandel and Primitivo, here’s how the Wine Spectatorsummarizes it: “Genetically, these two grapes are extremely similar—it took some DNA fingerprinting to figure it out—but Primitivo and Zinfandel are actually both clones of a Croatian grape called Crljenak… Even though Primitivo and Zinfandel have been considered synonyms for years, U.S. labeling laws don’t allow them to be used interchangeably.”
In short, Zinfandel and Primitivo are closely related but not quite the same. In our vineyards, we find Primitivo to deliver a slightly darker color with a more pronounced tannin profile, while still sharing the spicy, juicy fruit flavors that we love from Zinfandel.
Remarkable Reserves
The 2021 Primitivo bursts from the glass with aromas of raspberry jam, black plum, vanilla, caramel and savory star anise. Flavors of blue fruits and boysenberry flood that mouth with hints of strawberry, dried herbs, earthy notes and cracked pepper. Crunchy acidity flows seamlessly into a juicy, spicy finish.
This wine now stands alongside other small-batch Zinfandel bottlings in the Opolo Reserve Collection, including the Zinfandel Reserve Paso Robles, Zinfandel Reserve Willow Creek District and Zinfandel Remo Belli Vineyard.
Experience the 2021 Primitivo today at the Opolo tasting room, and consider joining the Opolo Wine Club to gain priority access to our most coveted wines.
2021 PRIMITIVO IS NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE AND IN OUR TASTING ROOM FOR MEMBERS ONLY TO PURCHASE!