Tasting - Pillastro Primitivo 2013

My final, and favorite tasting of the weekend:

Name: Pillastro 
Variety: Primitivo
Region: Puglia
Country: Italy
Year: 2013
Price: ~$14.00 ? (This is an estimate found at wsjwine.com, my mom paid $69.99 for the box of 15 different wines as part of the Wall Street Journal's Discovery Wine club introductory promotion)

WSJ Wine review: 'In the glass, Pillastro offers "vibrant cherry fruit on the nose with strawberry and loganberry." IWC Judges have described it as "an early drinking, soft supple style." Top critic Malcolm Gluck also talked up a previous vintage as "lush and lovely... not expensive and terrifically drinkable." As you'll taste, Angelo's 2013 lives up to the hype - expert billowing red and black fruit aromas, with luscious, ripe currant, chocolate and vanilla-oak notes on the palate. Sip with meaty pastas.'

My review: I chose this wine out of my mom's box of 15 wines because it's from Puglia, the region where my family comes from! In the glass, I noticed this wine's deep, dark, almost black color. On the nose, I detected notes of apple, what reminded me of sparking grape juice or cider, and notes of strawberry. It seemed very "jammy" to me. When I tasted it without food, I picked up on its initial dryness, but its slightly sweet aftertaste, and perhaps a hint of plum.

I tasted this wine with Comte cheese. With the cheese I really was able to pick up on its smooth mouth feel and the fruit flavors - particularly the strawberry - came through really well!

This was by far my favorite wine of the weekend. The smell was amazing. I could have sat there and smelled it all night. My mom and I made plans to figure out where to buy more immediately after our tasting!