Paolo Leo Primitivo di Manduria 2009, Puglia, Italy

Dates - I don't really like them. I do like smelling them though, which is good because southern Italian reds are often full of them. There's also some fresher plum fruit on the nose here, which is ripe and spicy with bay and sweet molasses. The fruit has some definition on the palate, which retains that slightly dry, (yes date-like) sweetness that puts it on the map. Carries some authentic southern Italian flavour in a modern package - not bad for shade under £10 in Waitrose.