Off the Italian mainland lies an island that sits right in the center of the Tyrrhenian Sea, in view all along the Italian west coast from to Naples, curving around through Sicily, and followed through by the North African coast across Algerian and Tunisia. It's an island - rather massive even, in fact the second largest in the Mediterranean Sea just after Sicily - that is most ancient, and till this day is dotted with remnants from an ancient civilisation that once inhabited the island over 3,800 years ago, and yet today remains silent and mysterious, with far less visibility to the mainstream public as compared to the likes of Sicily and Corsica.

Of an extraordinary climate, isolated land and ancient soils, this is Sardinia.

 

 

The island of Sardinia is historic in many ways, given its strategic geographical location, it's long served as a checkpoint along trading routes ping ponging around the Mediterranean, with countries like Spain, France, Italy, Algeria and Tunisia circling the island. It's by no means small, with an area of 24,100 square kilometers (that's 33.7 million football fields!), and to that end is even considered as being its own micro-continent, with distinct sub-regions that each feature distinct climatic and geological conditions, together piecing together to form an incredibly unique island ecosystem. It's often said that such islands serve as a living glimpse into an almost prehistoric past, where conventional ecological rules don't apply - after all, this is an island with not only its own flora and fauna, but is also one of the few Blue Zones (along with its fellow island peers of Icaria, Greece; Okinawa, Japan, amongst others) where there exists an outsized concentration of centenarians and super-centenarians (people who live up to the ages of 100-110!). 

And so it should be no surprise then that some very unique wines are made here in Sardinia, with varietals such as its flagship white Vermentino and red Cannonau, as well other indigenous ones like Nuragus, Monica, Carignano, Nasco, Bovale, and many more.

 

The Nuragic civilisation.

 

Winemaking in Sardinia is in fact one of the oldest in the Mediterranean (the region's oldest wine press was found in Sardinia), and can be traced as far back as the 1500 BC when the island was home to the seafaring Nuragic people. Whilst the Nuragic people left behind no written accounts, they did leave behind thousands of stone constructed fortresses called Nuraghe (as pictured in the lead photo), which can still be found across the island today, with some even designated as UNESCO World Heritage Site!

Into 1000 BC, the Phoenicians would begin settling on the island, once again as Sardinia sat along key trading routes, and as such would bring to the island many new grape varieties that were collected from their extensive voyages, therefore making Sardinia home to a wide array of varieties from far flung origins. The Romans - as the Romans do - would eventually find their way to Sardinia, and of course would turn winemaking up several notches, turning grape cultivation and winemaking into a material export industry. Yet another 1,000 years would pass, with numerous dynasties and kingdoms calling claim to the island, although viticulturally, it would be the Aragons and the Spaniards who would bring the island's winemaking forward, with in particular one Eleanor of Arborea, Sardinia's most famous heroine and also one of the last rulers of the island, who would materially update the Carta de Logu, which served as the island's code of law that would include in it an order for any uncultivated land to be planted with vines so as to boost the Sardinian economy and promote agricultural development that would give Sardinia greater value and weight. Through four centuries of Spanish rule, Iberian varieties also became increasingly prominent on the island, with the likes of Carignano (Carignan), Monica and Torbato.

 

Eleanor of Arborea, the heroine of Sardinia.

 

Into modernity, Sardinia would even at one point come under the fold of the Austrian kingdom (and even fended off Napoleon Bonaparte's French fleet), before eventually being handed over to the Franco-Italian House of Savoy in 1718 which began the island's Italian revival, and finally in 1861 officially became part of the unified Kingdom of Italy, where it remains a self-governing autonomous region till this day, capping off a 3,000 year old viticultural heritage that reflects the influences of many cultures and as a result today boasts over 120 indigenous varietals. Since 1971, Sardinia's local varieties have been steadily recognised with its own DOC and DOCG status, designating and protecting the local winemaking and provenance, with today 1 DOCG designation for Vermentino di Gallura, and 17 DOC appellations, most notable of which are the Vermentino di Sardegna and Cannonau di Sardegna, although as of late there has been an increasing focus and attention towards the broader Isola dei Nuraghi IGT (a general designation for any wine made across Sardinia) which provides local winemakers with the ability to produce more sophisticated cuvees.

 

The many climates and terrains of Sardinia.

 

Sardinia's micro-continent topography and geology can best be understood as being largely hilly (68% of the island), with then 18% of the island in plains and 13% as mountains, where the land is generally formed of granite, schist, trachyte, basalt, sandstone and limestone. Given the size and positioning of the island and its diverse topography, its climate varies from area to area, although by and large characterised as Mediterranean, where it sees rainless summers and wet autumns, winters and springs, with cool average temperatures between 11 and 31 °C, where the coasts experience mild winters and warm summers, whilst the mountains are cold in winter and cool in summer. Viticulturally, the island can be thought of as being of three regions - the north (more maritime and cooler, focused on Vermentino), the center-west (mostly Carignano; the center-east is concentrated with rugged mountain ranges), and the south (warmer, with an emphasis on Cannonau, Nuragus and Monica). It is thus in the south (around and just beyond the island's capital of Cagliari) where we find the Argiolas winery and its extensive 600 acres of vineyards.

 

First-generation Antonio Argiolas.

 

The story of Argiolas begins proper in 1938 when Antonio Argiolas at just 32 years old would inherit just 7 acres of vines from his father Francesco, who had laid down the family's first vines in 1918. Nevertheless into the turn of the 1900's, Sardinia despite its long history of winemaking, had by and large produced bulk wines as a result of how its winemaking industry had first emerged so many centuries ago. Nevertheless Argiolas had believed in the value of the island's indigenous varieties and had envisaged a future where they would be well presented and could achieve the recognition they deserved. To that end, Argiolas was a pioneer for his visionary and modern viticultural emphasis on vineyard quality, gutsy willingness to forgo quantity and efficiency maximisation for quality, and for recognising that the unique local terrain would require specially adapted viticultural practices that worked with the terroir and not in spite of it. Initially even as Argiolas was deeply passionate about championing indigenous varieties and pursuing quality, Italy was still in the process of recovering economically from the world war and its wine industry was therefore still largely dominated by cheap table wines that were produced and sold in bulk (termed vino sfuso) and thus there was little room other than to produce recognisable table wines. Nevertheless Argiolas's efforts in including indigenous varieties into the array of vines cultivated (with also international varieties that were more in demand at the time) at the time would mark the island's first steps towards championing Sardinian heritage, and whilst conventions of the time dictated the production of bulks wines for sale, Argiolas' wines were already beginning to gain recognition for its quality. This set the pace for Argiolas as it would become the icon of Sardinia.

 

 

The coming decades would see each successive generation of Argiolas (today helmed by the third generation of Argiolas) take the family's estate further. Antonio would have his two sons, Franco and Giuseppe, join him in his work, with then the 1970's and 1980's proving most pivotal for the Argiolas estate. Into the 1970's, the European Union had, in a bid to stem an oversupply of wines, provided financial incentives for wineries to grub up and remove old vines that were often in poor health and been planted sporadically as mixed varietal bush vines. Led by Franco and Giuseppe, and supported by Antonio, where growers were tearing up vines, abandoning vineyards and getting out of winemaking, the Argiolas family would instead restructure the entire winery and this time convert all its vineyards to only indigenous varieties planted to achieving lower yields and greater fruit concentration (in a greater pursuit of quality), and in particular painstakingly acquiring the best clones available, which were incredibly difficult to get a hold of. This was a bold move considering that many of such indigenous varieties had little awareness outside of Sardinia where most of the island's wines would be sold and consumed, and at the same time required heavy and long term investments before any results could be seen, all the whilst winegrowers were getting out of the trade due to broad pessimism. Yet the Argiolas' were as convinced as ever of their unique land and fruit. In their endeavour to demonstrate the full potential of Sardinia's local varieties and to present them at their finest, the Argiolas family would enlist the help of famed Italian oenologist Giacomo Tachis.

 

Second-generation Franco and Giuseppe with Giacomo Tachis (center).

 

Tachis had believed deeply in the unique island terroir and climate and was convinced that vines planted to the Sardinian south had possessed the "true soul of the island", and thus agreed to collaborate with the winery for decades to come. Tachis would through his career help to produce an phenomenal roster of Italy's most iconic wines, perhaps most notably the Super Tuscans Sassicaia, Tignanello and Solaia, as well as San Leonardo to the Italian north, and would thus work his magic once again in 1988 (first released in 1991) and produced with Argiolas the now famed single vineyard Cannonau-anchored Turriga, that is a cuvee of indigenous Sardinian varieties. Just as he was a visionary in embracing the broad IGT designation (and thereby forgoing the then more prestigious DOCG and DOC designations) which led to the creation of the Super Tuscans, Tachis would once again dispense with Sardinia's DOC/G designations and opt to produce Argiolas' prestige wines under the Isola del Nuraghi IGT mark instead, emphasising blends of various indigenous varieties and ageing these cuvees in French barriques. Today, Mariano Murru, who had been Tachis' apprentice continues to helm the winemaking at Argiolas.

 

The Turriga is a 5,000 year old ancient pre-Nuragic cruciform statuette that was found in Sardinia and has been understood to be interpreted as a symbol of the Mother Goddess of fertility and abundance. It now famously adorns Argiolas' icon Turriga wine.

  

This proved momentous as Turriga would put not only the Argiolas family on the map, but Sardinia as a whole. If the world didn't know anything about Sardinian winemaking then, now they were all ears. "We were completely unknown, and our story totally changed with Turriga. The first time we went to Vinitaly, in 1991, our wine immediately won an award and we got our first international customer, an English importer who is still with us today. That is also when we started to export and focus on international markets. Turriga was at the center of important tastings in Italy and abroad as well as a regional success story, and though the varieties were unknown then, thanks to this wine, they are famous all over the world today. It was a very special event when my grandfather went to Verona, as he was able to talk face to face with our foreign importers. He was open to all cultures," says third-generation Valentina Argiolas. First-generation Antonio Argiolas would go on to be awarded the Meritorious Services in Viticulture distinction for his pioneering work, and would live to see Turriga be included in the realms of top Italian reds. A bonafide Sardinian centenarian himself, Antonio Argiolas would live to the age of 102, passing away in 2009, at which point the family's winery was already well-established and safely in the hands of the third-generation of Argiolas.

 

Argiolas' home in Serdiana.

 

And so in the town of Serdiana, just outside the island's city of Cagliari, third-generation Valentina, her sister Francesca, and their cousin Antonio, now lead the family's winery. Their vineyards today span 600 acres across the southern and central regions of the island (primarily in Serdiana and Trexenta in the south, and Sulcis and Selegas in the central west), dotted across a multitude of terrains, terroirs and climate, from coastlines to higher elevation inland slopes, with an extensive portfolio of red and white local Sardinian varieties including the island's flagship Vermentino, Cannonau and Carignano, as well as Bovale, Monica, Malvasia Nera, Nasco and Nuragus. From this wide palette, Argiolas produces an equally wide range of labels (across DOC and IGT designations) that can be as distinct as capturing a single varietal in a unique microclimate to a multi-varietal cuvee that seeks to represent the island's identity.

 

Third-generation Antonio, Francesca and Valentina (left to right).

 

Where the previous generations of Argiolas has focused on laying the groundwork in the vineyards, Valentina, Francesca and Antonio, have on hand the task of protecting and preserving the family's vines in the face of a rapidly changing climate, as well as ensuring that Argiolas' wines continue to both resonate and appeal to fans, whilst also conveying Sardinia's rich heritage.

To that end, Argiolas makes an extensive effort to not only farm sustainably but to also actively study and continue to take their preservation programs of local Sardianian varieties to new heights. In the vineyards, low environmental impact practices are used such as plant-based extracts that boost vine resilience to temperature swings, with also natural predators enabled to fend off pests without the use of pesticides, along with sub-surface irrigation that helps protect against the heat whilst reducing water usage. Vines today are additionally planted across wider distances to give each vine more room and lesser competition in an already harsh climate, which in turn reduces sugar accumulation so that the alcohol level of the wines are in control and more acidity can make its way through.

 

 

Here in Sardinia, the main consideration is making sure to control for ripeness, and to ensure that the vines are able to withstand the frequently fluctuating temperatures. By employing the use of precision viticulture where vines receive exactly what it requires, nothing more nor less, the winery is able to guide the vines through the season with then minimal inputs, whilst keeping the fruit in ideal condition. Thankfully, given Argiolas' extensive work with only local varieties, these native vines are already well adapted to the Sardinian climate having sustained its life on the island for centuries thus far. Nevertheless ongoing work is needed to continue to develop a greater understanding about them in order to ensure they flourish for many centuries more.

 

 

This is therefore where much of Argiolas' work for its future lies today. Since 2010, Argiolas had begun to undertake what would be a multi-decade project in systematically documenting and propagating Sardinia's unique island biodiversity. Named the Experimental Vineyard for Biodiversity Project, what would otherwise typically be more the work for a university, Argiolas would take on great costs, time and labour to creating the island's first ever vine database in the form of a nursery that consolidates the island's wide biodiversity, which then serves as first and foremost a protective and preservative bank of the genetic origin of each indigenous variety and bio-type, as well as then a space to study what varietals do best with each other, and is best suited in terms of resistance towards potential climate change and diseases. Aided by agronomists, oenologists and technicians from the University of Milan, the team started with traditional massal selection in order to first document the agronomic culture and to assess vine health. The best vines of 11 different Sardinian varietals (Vermentino, Cannonau, Monica, amongst others) were selected from across the island, with each variety then used to propagate 5,000 new vines. In 2016, the best clones for each varietal was then selected and planted in the special nursery in Serdiana, where they were then analysed and micro-vinified. This allowed the team to then isolate the ideal clones for each variety which could then be used for future multiplication. Since 2020, the team has been able to propagate these specially selected climate and disease resistant Cannonau, Vermentino, and Nasco clones across Argiolas' vineyards.

 

 

Beyond its viticultural practice and at the same time just like its viticultural work, Argiolas has continuously sought to combine modern and innovative techniques to convey its unique and traditional Sardinian heritage to the wider wine community and its consumers, through artistic collaborations and new forms of media. More recently the estate has worked to develop its estate for wine tourism, with the opening of a restaurant and boutique hotel, Casa di Nonno, that was once the house of first-generation Antonio Argiolas, and has also worked on releasing lower alcohol wines and ageable whites. Through its work, Argiolas has thus become the champion of Sardinia's native varietals, and has produced exceptional archetypal wines that have brought these indigenous, ancient vines to the forefront.

 

 

"The most important concept that I tried to convey is that Sardinia is one of the oldest lands in the Mediterranean; it was for centuries used as a transit point between Asia, Africa and Europe and we have been influenced by Phoenician, Roman, Arabian and Piemontese cultures among others. Sardinia maintains its roots while at the same time absorbing the influences of these other people. Our isolation allows us to maintain an intact genetic heritage in terms of grape varieties but also in terms of language (as Sardinian is not a dialect but a language) food traditions, etc. Our uniqueness is our richness.

Their [the previous generations of Argiolas] path was to exalt the richness and diversity of Sardinia and we’re still following this path, as well as focusing more on protecting the vineyard, the environment and the social sustainability of wine production. Our biggest investment will be in addressing ongoing climate change, reducing our environmental impact and protecting the plants to save the Sardinian genetic heritage. Our biodiversity program is the project of the second and third generation at Argiolas and it’s the heritage that we will pass to the fourth generation. This is our aim."

Valentina Argiolas, third-generation Argiolas.

 

With all of that said, let's get into the wines of Argiolas!

PS. Argiolas is carried in Singapore by CornerStone Wines, who recently put on a showcase of Argiolas' wines, which we're about to taste today!

Wine Review: Argiolas Costamolino Vermentino di Sardegna DOC

Starting off with the Vermentino's! We have the Costamolino (so named after the area of its harvest), which comes from the hilly vineyards of Pranu Sturru-Suelli and Perda Campus-Selegas in the south (at 625 feet in elevation). The fruit goes through sorting and selection before being very lightly pressed, where only the first press wine is used. It's cooled to 10-12 °C with natural settling, and then fermented in stainless steel tanks at 16-18 °C for about 20 days. It's then briefly aged for 3-4 months on its lees under temperature control, before finally being aged for another 1-3 months in bottle and then released.

This is the 2024 vintage.

  

Tasting Notes

Colour: Deep Straw

Aroma: Really plush and aromatic, it opens candied with black grape gummies, candy floss, with also all these oriental perfumed plumes of lacquered agarwood and elderflowers, almost slightly resinous. Fresh and supple, with a really elegant aromatic texture, incredibly refined, it's waxy and juicy still, with a light doughiness, and then more on orange blossoms, peach gummies and peach yogurt rings, with a lightly lactic quality.

Taste: Medium-bodied here, plush and with a good richness, it's rounded and supple, almost pillowy, filled in with oranges and peaches, also a touch of greenness of slightly unripe peach and peach fuzz. It has a backbone of darker toned savouriness. Still incredibly aromatic, with all those oriental scents of elderflower, waxy agarwood, lightly sprinkled with dried rosemary herbs.

Finish: Peaches, citruses, elderflowers, the richness also carries through with more of that lightly herbaceous savouriness of dried rosemary and thyme. It's mostly a continuation of the palate, although here the fruits and florals recedes to reveal more of that savouriness and also a light dryness. It finishes on a delicate yet deep dryness, with peach yogurt rings that linger, along with that herbaceous savouriness.

My Thoughts

Really impressive! This so perfectly captures and delivers the beautiful aromatics of the Vermentino, here fresh and elegant, very much perfumed and heady, layered across an easygoing and almost sensual body that finishes off with such finesse, this delicate dryness. I adore how vibrant this is, and with a splendidly richer body that is so satisfying, and yet at the same time it's still light and elegant and refined, with this understatedly savoury complexity. It readily impresses and follows through perfectly, all the whilst keeping itself so easygoing, stylish, and refreshing till it's finished! You could finish this so easily! The absolute perfect summer wine, and also goes perfectly with savoury foods.

Wine Review: Is Argiolas Vermentino di Sardegna DOC

A second Vermentino, this comes from Argiolas' oldest vines in Selegas (calcareous and clay-loam soils, elevation at 560 feet), harvested slightly later than that for the Costamolino, although similarly, it goes through sorting, before being very lightly pressed, with only the first press wine being used. It's cooled to 10-12 °C with natural settling, after which fermentation is carried out with native yeasts only at controlled temperatures between 16- 17 °C for 25-30 days. A small portion of the must is also fermented and left to develop in small French oak barrels. It's aged for 6-8 months on lees and another 1-3 months of bottle ageing before release, with vinification entirely in stainless steel tanks.

This is the 2024 vintage.

 

Tasting Notes

Colour: Deep Straw

Aroma: Immediately more concentrated and reaching to greater depth, it leans darker toned, more candied, with tones of maltose coaxed into that waxy oriental bouquet of elderflowers and honeysuckle, as well as fruit florals of peach blossoms and orange blossoms, and also candied peaches. The perfume here is bolder, although less bright and airy.

Taste: Medium-bodied, it's more firm and concentrated, also more detailed and voluptuous. Much more candied, with again that maltose filled body that holds within honeysuckles and peaches, with then also a more pronounced herbaceous savouriness of thyme jelly. It's supple, although more concentrated and firm.

Finish: More linear here, clean, the finish is firmer, with also a light fizziness almost, carrying with it light fragrances of peaches, peach fuzz and a savouriness of peach cores, balancing between candied and floral, with still that bit of savoury herbaceous quality. It's shorter on the finish, without lingering on as much.

My Thoughts

This definitely felt more concentrated and bolder, trading off some of that airy and pillowy vibrant brightness. It takes the same oriental waxiness, fruits and florals, and here coaxes it in maltose candy, and then goes more compact, showcasing more detail and structure, with still that richness and shapely character. Even the herbaceous savouriness here is amplified nicely, much stronger and with more depth, which in turn again boldens the overall profile. That said, the finish here is alittle shorter and again more immediate, even if firmer. Although it shares a resemblance with the Costamolino, given the concentration and compactness here, this would go better with a cream based pasta or a richer dessert like a creme brulee.

Wine Review: Argiolas Costera Cannonau di Sardegna DOC

Now we come to the flagship reds, starting off with the Costera. So named after the hills from which the fruit is from (pebbly, calcareous clay-loan; 725 feet elevation), this is predominantly 90% Cannonau (also known as Grenache or Garnacha), 5% Bovale Sardo and 5% Carignano (Carignan), that's cold soak macerated for about 10-12 days, before being vinified in stainless steel tanks for 3-4 weeks, with malolactic fermentation taking place in cement fibre glass lined tanks. It's then aged for 8-10 months in 2 year old French oak barriques and 5 months in cement vats, before 1 more month of bottle ageing upon release.

This is the 2022 vintage.

 

Tasting Notes

Colour: Deep Ruby

Aroma: Potently powerful and sensual! It's incredibly plush with deep tones of juicy blackcurrants and black cherry gummies, with floral tones roses and irises, cusped by a base of clay. It's super aromatic and velvety, with more on cherry frosting, red licorice, spread over a base of blackberry and prune preserves. With time, some powdery dustiness of gravel comes through. By and large, super juicy with heaps of fruit gummies and floral bouquets, with an accent of mulberry leaves and an earthy mineral of clay and gravel.

Taste: Medium-bodied, it's plush and rich, filled in with blackberries and prunes, a touch of eucalyptus leafiness, and then more of those bouquets of roses and irises. The acidity is bright yet soft and rounded, with powdery tannins. It shows good saturation, really fresh and bodied, sensual and generous. 

Finish: A persistent velvety juicy plushness of blackberries, blueberries and prunes, here with a touch of dried dark fruit. The acidity is light but bright, with a gentle drying touch. Lingering candied notes of candy floss, candied plums and prunes, red licorice, with a powderiness of crushed dried rose petals. Slight grippiness.

My Thoughts

A really powerful and generous red, that's incredibly juicy and fruit forward, perfumed with vibrant aromatics of roses and irises, and then given more layers of earthy minerality and an almost herbal leafiness. It's lush and velvety, great richness and depth, rather opulent and sensual, and yet still very much fresh, without overt heaviness. There's even that candied quality into the finish that adds that much more vibrance. The acidity here is bright and rounded, with the tannins powdery, if not alittle grippy towards the finish. It's a really beautiful wine that's fresh, vibrant and beguiling, rich and sensual, and incredibly easy to fall into. This would pair perfectly with a tomato-based pasta or pizza, or an oxtail ragu. 

Wine Review: Argiolas Senes Riserva Cannonau di Sardegna DOC

Made as an homage to first-generation Antonio Argiolas, this comes from fruit grown in the southern Costera estate (calcareous, clay, gravel), located in Siurgus Donigala, just north of the city of Cagliari. On the label, shows how the vines are planted, spread out so as to prevent over-crowding. The Senes Riserva is 90% Cannonau, 5% Carignano and 5% Bovale Sardo, vinified in stainless steel tanks for 12-15 days before being moved over to fiberglass lined concrete for malolactic fermentation. It's then aged for 1 year in French oak barriques before another year of ageing in bottle before being released.

This is the 2021 vintage.

 

Tasting Notes

Colour: Deep Ruby

Aroma: More earthy, it opens with freshly tilled soil, freshly harvested mushrooms, with also dried dark fruits of plums and prunes, garnished with some herbaceous tones of thyme and eucalyptus.

Taste: Medium-bodied, really plush and rich, velvety too, with deep notes of plums and prune preserves, with also some dark cherries. It's riper and richer, alittle raisin, with soft florals of roses and irises, as well as that leafy herbaceous bit of eucalyptus and thyme. Dash of salinity too, it's all really well integrated, also very juicy and with a satisfyingly sturdy and firm presence. The acidity here are bright and broad, with the tannins riper and incredibly giving.

Finish: That juiciness of plum and prune preserves carries through, seamless and plush, dusted with dried thyme, as well as a return of that earthiness of mushrooms and soil. Wafts of coastal salinity too. The acidity is bright yet gentle, tannins really firm and snug, velvety and rich through the finish, with then a light grippiness that lingers, perfumed with rose and iris petal aromatics.

My Thoughts

A more rustic and rugged character here, this certainly feels darker toned and also more concentrated, yet at the same time feels completely plush and velvety on the palate, calling to quite the depth. Here we also find more of a coastal influence, whilst also alittle riper and more raisin, and still really juicy, which combines with that heabaceousness and earthiness. It shows great presence and holds its own really well, with such astuteness! This would go perfectly with a cheese board, with in particular more funky cheeses! Very enjoyable, especially if you prefer Rhone style wines or Chateauneuf du Pape's, this is the easy next pick.

Wine Review: Argiolas Is Solinas Carignano Isola dei Nuraghi IGT

We now move to the third flagship variety from Sardinia, the Carignano (or Carignan). Here the fruit comes from the coastal region of Sulcis in the Sardinian south, and in particular from the Solinas vineyard, which is just 50 meters from the sea. The soils here are sandy and have historically never seen phylloxera as a result of its isolation. No irrigation is used for this vineyard, and so the vines here draw completely from sea salt and ambient humidity. The fruit is specially harvested fully ripe, and even almost over-ripe, with fermentation and maceration under temperature control for 10-12 days in stainless steel tanks, after which the wine is moved to cement tanks for malolactic fermentation, and finally aged in 3 year old French barriques for 12 months and then another 7 months of bottle ageing before release.

This is the 2021 vintage. 

 

Tasting Notes

Colour: Deep Ruby, Brick-ish

Aroma: Opens incredibly aromatic, with intense florals of rose petals over blackcurrants, blueberries, plums, prunes and dark cherries, in the form of preserves and gummies. It's supple with also touches of clay and eucalyptus, and a wet stone minerality. It's seamless and plush, vibrant and with good richness.

Taste: Medium-bodied here, good richness, it feels alittle more opulent and riper here, yet very plush and velvety. Those sensual darker red tones of plums, prunes, dark cherries and raspberries in the form of fruit jams fill the body, garnished with perfumed rose petals. There's an accent of clay and coastal salinity that outlines the body, with also a light savouriness of dried thyme. The acidity here is bright and soft, the tannins incredibly polished and giving.

Finish: Those sultry notes of rose petals and darker fruits of plums and prunes carry through, with still that undertone of clay minerality, working through a clean and seamless finish, with a lingering powderiness of the tannins and more of those sensual rose petal perfume.

My Thoughts

This comes through incredibly elegant and sensual, and even as it takes a riper and richer character, it still feels lifted and plush, with the weight almost comparable to cherry pie filling. It's rounded and velvety, with the acidity bright and softened, the tannins polished and generous, all the whilst singing with the perfumes of rose petals over dark and red fruit jams. It's a really romantic expression, and yet very beautifully conveys all of its subtle complexity, with these really evocative and naturalistic mineral clay tones coming through that is such a delightful surprise. This too would go well with a cheese board or also game meats or roasted meats.

Wine Review: Argiolas Korem Bovale Isola dei Nuraghi IGT

Composed of 85% Bovale, 10% Carignano and 5% Cannonau, Korem is designed to be a more elegant counterpart to the iconic Turriga, as a result of its predominant use of Bovale (Graciano). Here, the low yielding and deeply coloured Bovale is used to amplify the aromatics and acidity, with the Carignano giving the wine tannin and the Cannonau for fruit and body, together said to offer a more layered complexity. On the label, we also see an ancient Greek coin that was found in one of Argiolas' vineyards!

The vineyards from which the fruit is harvested is characterised as stony and calcareous clay-loam soils, at 760-825 feet in elevation. The fruit is macerated for 14-28 days and fermented in stainless steel tanks for 15-16 days, before being aged in new French oak barriques and cement vats for 1 year. It is then aged in bottle for another 6 months upon release.

This is the 2019 vintage.

 

Tasting Notes

Colour: Deep Ruby

Aroma: Powerfully aromatic, heaps of rose petals and irises along with dried plums and prunes, dark fruit preserves and jams immediately fill the air. There's also a rustic quality about it, with wafts of freshly tilled soil, underbrush and forest floors, as well as also a gently herbal bit of eucalyptus. A light powderiness at the back too. It shows great plushness and depth.

Taste: Medium-bodied, it's rich and with bright acidity that comes through balanced, really fresh, with then all these darker fruits of plums and prunes, also dark chocolates, as well as the perfumed rose petals. The chalkiness shows, with the tannins giving yet structured, again made elegant with the bright acidity. 

Finish: Those same rose petals, plums and prunes, as well as eucalyptus carries through the finish seamlessly, the tannins powdery, with the acidity even brighter here. As it recedes, it holds the same palette, although now more detailed and structured, finishing off even fresher than before.

My Thoughts

Where we've thus far seen that Argiolas' reds are more than capable of delivering that powerfully sensual, richer and more plush character, this somehow feels different and even more elevated, with the acidity perhaps the most bright and lifted here, giving the same profile that much more voluminousness, even as the fruits remain opulent and generous. What I particularly really enjoyed here was not just that beautiful and elegant, really ethereal, freshness and balance of the acidity, but also those more earthy and mineral tones that cusp the fruited body. It forgoes that deep sensuality we've seen so far, for more of a graceful finesse. Really excellent! This could easily go toe to toe with a solid Bordeaux! Perfect for a wide variety of food pairings, from meats to pastas, cheeses to desserts.

Wine Review: Argiolas Turriga Isola dei Nuraghi IGT

And finally we meet Argiolas' iconic Turriga! This is of course what's got Argiolas so famous - although we have to say, we've been thoroughly impressed by a number of the wines we've tried today - and was conceived in collaboration with the famed Giacomo Tachis, who is credited as having helped create the Super Tuscans. Turriga comes from its namesake single vineyard, Turriga, an incredibly significant vineyard in Sardinia that is historically connected to the indigenous worshipping of the Goddess of Fertility. And so it was in the Turriga area that the important 5,000 year old pre-Nuragic statuette was found (now housed in the National Archaeological Museum of Cagliari). As such, Argiolas would name their top wine cuvee Turriga and feature the Turriga statuette on its label in paying homage to the indigenous cultures that are unique to Sardinia.

Located in southern Sardinia, the Turriga vineyard resides on the rocky limestone and calcareous clay hills of Trexenta and Sulcis, in specifically the Selegas-Piscina Trigus area, elevated some 230 meters above sea level, where the vines are exposed to the coastal influences of the Mediterranean winds. Composed of 85% Cannonau, 5% Carignano, 5% Bovale and 5% Malvasia Nera, the fruits are fermented in stainless steel tanks after a 16-18 day maceration period. It is then aged for 20 months in new French oak barriques and cement vats, with then another 12 months of bottle ageing before release.

This is the 2020 vintage.

 

Tasting Notes

Colour: Deep Ruby

Aroma: Aromatic and bodied, almost brooding in its depth, it pulls inwards, showing such control and finesse. Perfumed rose petals, here towards the back, with then riper and richer black fruits of plums and prunes, also raisins, and a slight bit of earthiness of freshly harvested mushrooms. There's an undertone of clay, chalk and also some gravel. It's powerful and sensual, with a velvety satin like quality.

Taste: Medium-bodied, it's super plush and velvety with such richness and lushness, yet at the same time showing that finesse and refinement of balance and lift. The body is filled in with dark fruits of plums and prune preserves, raisins, with also some cacao. The acidity is gentle, the tannins giving and silky. Gentle wafts of dried rosemary too.

Finish: Those dried black fruits of plums and prunes carry through the finish, here with a touch of salinity and also eucalyptus. It finishes dry with the tannins a touch grippy, and then lingering on with the same dark fruits and salinity, almost of salt cured prunes.

My Thoughts

This immediately feels elevated and refined, with again a great balance and lift from the fresh acidity, where the fruits are alittle more sunkissed and brooding with such a woven depth and silky lushness. It's definitely more broad and muscular, at the same time showing that structure. It also displays so beautifully its terroir and microclimate, with that coastal salinity that comes through, and then also the really naturalistic mineral undertones of clay, chalk and gravel, that almost transports you to the rocky Mediterranean coast, with that amber sun and salty sea breeze. Into the finish, there's a lingering of salted black fruits that just gives it such a gourmet quality too! This would be perfect with more savoury foods, fried fishes, herb crusted rack of lamb, and perhaps also Spanish tapas.

  

Kanpai!

 

@111hotpot