Morella is an estate in Manduria, Taranto Province in the Salento region of Puglia, Italy producing red wines under the Primitivo di Manduria DOC.

Owners: Lisa Gilbee (Australian) and Gaetano Morella. ‘We both consult so we can stay small and work by hand,’ Lisa told me at the winery in 2014.

Vineyards: 2014 17ha of vines: 11ha of alberello from the 1940s, and 6ha on wires. ‘The new winery/house we are building is where 12ha of our vines are,’ Lisa told me during my visit in Oct 2014. ‘We are in the Alto Salento here. We are at 70 metres. Red topsoil, sandy loam, which is 70cm deep. It drains quickly. The limestone beneath acts as a sponge.’ Lisa told me they were replanting from their own cuttings but with no virus check. Yields were 4 tonnes/ha. ‘The terrain looks flat and homogeneous, but trust me every block is different,’ Lisa said.

Why Primitivo?: ‘I guess its the Australian thing of favouring the underdog,’ Lisa told me by email 15 Oct 201. ‘I felt that Puglia historically had been kept in the dark enologically, and that this was an advantage for the northern wineries in many ways [who could buy the wines cheaply in bulk to boost their own wines]. When I realized that there were these old vine Primitivo here in Manduria and imagining their potential for quality bottled wine it seemed like just the challenge to take on. No one else was doing, or still is doing, single vineyard Primitivo. Primitivo is great here, it can be difficult, but when it comes together the wines have a wonderful maturity, with a great freshness and acidity. Coming from a country where most red wine making is based on French varieties that always need quite heavy acid adjustment, it is great to work with Italian varieties where the acidity is in balance already at picking. And finally you dont have to be a millionare to buy a few hectares of old vine Primitivo, live near the beach and make wine here!’

Asked whether she is optimistic about old vine Primitivo Lisa told me (in 2014) ‘optimistic would be too strong, when we have already lost so much. I see some producers who in the past have pulled out old vines to put in vertical trellising, now looking around and buying some oldish bush vine Primitivo. I see wineries from outside of Puglia coming in and looking to buy fruit from bush vine vineyards, but they are not investing in buying and saving these vines. They stopped planting bush vines at the end of the 1980s in favour of wire-trained vines, or switched bush vines to wire-training. This did make the vines easier to spray but locals had no knowledge of how to fill the wire trellis with canopy: shoots and leaves. So the vines were wire-trained but were small. It is hard to be optimistic when so much of the really old stock is gone, remaining mostly only vineyards of around 40 years. I think in general amongst the wine drinkers there is not much value given to wines from old vines, with the exception of maybe France.’

Biodynamic practises: On Nov 13th 2015 Lisa said by ‘phone ‘biodynamics is about looking after the vines better. We went progressively BD. Went organic first. Best for vines, making them healthier, learning about biodynamics and how it helps. Taking the crutches away. Stopping the prescription way of growing in favour of real farming. Evolution, understanding vineyard better, helping the vines so as to make better wine. In 2009 we started with BD and have seen vines respond progressively. We use mainly 500P and do it with Saverio Petrilli’s group in Colline Lucchesi in Tuscany (see Tenuta di Valgiano). The soil is too warm here in winter to get the transformation of the manure when making the horn manure 500. Also sow cover crops. Use a mix whereas in Australia tend to sow a monoculture. With natural it seems to be a case of “the least I do, then the better I am.’ I want to be more aware, a better grower. Get better vines, longer lived vines. Positive input. Not hands-off, the “nature does everything” idea is a good line for journalistss. I can think we can do more by understanding agriculture and plants better. Looking at how they respond.”

Benefits ‘Lisa Gelbee told me (3 June 2019, by email) that ‘compared to conventional methods, biodynamics is less work in some areas but more in others. Our bush vine vineyards were already rather intensive to work being closely planted and set up in a period when all the work was done by hand. With biodynamics we now work in a better way with the vineyard and benefit in terms of vineyard health and grape flavour. We live in our vineyard and try to see the big picture, not just focalize on single aspects of grape production.’

Soil health ‘Soil health has shown big improvements over time. We have red soils over limestone, depths average 40 cm so it is important that all areas are in the best of health so the vines have maximum resources. We rip in autumn (or spring) with low sheer tynes and then spray Horn manure 500. We sow over-wintering cover crops to work the soil and improve structure, and to promote increased biodiversity. The cover crops are mown in spring. We spray Horn manure 500 to aid decomposition and create a protective mulch for summer. Annual rainfall varies between 450-750mm. The average is good at 650mm, but there are years or times of drought and as we have dry farmed vines having that extra humus created by such practices is essential to their health,’ says Lisa.

Disease control ‘During spring downy mildew (peronospera) can be a big problem when rains are followed by a subsequent sirocco wind bringing humid air from the south. This can generate many nights with wet foliage. We minimize risk by green pruning to keep the canopy open, selecting one shoot per bud, and eliminating unwanted shoots growing from woody areas. Horn silica 501 is also sprayed. We reduce the level of copper-based sprays by combining them with propolis. Sulphur-based sprays are used for oidium (powdery mildew) which is best controlled early in the season. The main pest is the European grape moth (Lobesia botrana). Maintaining good biodiversity is important. We monitor and spray Bacillus thuringiensis when the risk of grape berry moth larvae is greatest. We only use a tractor for inter-vine weeding. Everything else is sprayed by hand,’ Lisa told me

Yields | Lisa Gelbee told me (3 June 2019, by email) that ‘Biodynamics has improved vine vigour to help our very old vines to keep soldiering on, and was absolutely one of the motivating reasons to try Biodynamics. We feel the vineyard is coping better with the dry years and there is less death of vines in general.’

White wines

Mezzogiorno Bianco, Fiano: Planted in 2005-6. Mass selection cuttings from Avellino in Campania. Trellised. Terra rosa over limestone. | 2009 Debut. | 2010 Debut vintage. | 2014 Fermented in egg (600 litres) and some in some in a concrete hippo (10 hl). Lovely citric, nice texture at the (old) winery on 9 Oct 2014.

Red wines

Primitivo di Manduria, Stella:This is not an estate wine but part of Lisa’s consultancy.

Primitivo di Manduria, La Signora: The oldest Primitivo vines here had different owners historically and thus had been worked differently, leaving biotypes of Primitivo which go into the Signora cuvée and the Old Vines cuvée. | 2011 3,000 bottles. Spikier tannins than the old vines bottling, leaner, less mouthfilling and less overtly aromatic at the winery on Thursday 9 Oct 2014.

Old Vines Primitivo: ‘The La Signora and Old Vines bottlings come from the same Primitivo vineyards but there are clonal differences,’ Lisa told me at the winery on Thursday 9 Oct 2014. ‘I taste the grapes in the vineyard and can find the cut off point between the two. “The old Primitivo vines in Puglia are disappearing. The problem is not who is making it, or how they are making it but how much is left to make wine from. I like 30% new, 30% Y1 and 30% Y2.’ | 2001 IGT Salento Rosso 15.5%. A very good vintage, like 2007 (see below). | 2003 A very hot vintage. | 2005 IGT Salento Rosso ‘Wet spring, which I liked. Tramontana. Coolish nights, not too hot,’ Lisa told me at the (old) winery on 9 Oct 2014. | 2007 IGT Salento Rosso Basket pressed. Aged in 2nd and 3rd fill 300-litre French oak barrels. ‘In 2007 everyone got good Primitivo. Not too much humidity. Right amount of grapes on the vines. Lovely summer, easy harvest. First harvest in this (rented) winery in Manduria. 2001 was like 2007. The two best years in that period, Lisa told me at the winery on Thursday 9 Oct 2014. I found black fruit and licorice and fruits in liqueur character. | 2010 IGT Salento Rosso Bottled. | 2011 IGT Salento Rosso 5,500 bottles. ’85 year-old vines. Low yielding year of good grapes,’ Lisa told me at the (old) winery on 9 Oct 2014. Really concentrated, taking time to open up. Destemmed to 1-ton fermenters with no pump. Whole berries, slower fermentation = less juice, fermentation of 10-14 days. Fermented to dryness. Basket press to barrel. MLF in barrel. 300 and 500 litre oak.’ Concentrated black fruit, taking time for tobacco and licorice to come out. Needs to be put away. ‘Primitivo is generous in the beginning,’ Lisa says. “Drink 2016-2026,’ she told me. | 2012 A very hot vintage. Low yields, ‘not such quite good grapes compared to 2011,’ Lisa told me at the (old) winery on 9 Oct 2014.

Contact

Morella

Via per Uggiano

I-74024 Manduria (TA ), Italy

Tel+39 099.9791482 | Website: www.morellavini.com