This Week's Must-Try Wines from Vinous
Cardedu
Caladu Cannonau di Sardegna 2016
The 2016 Cannonau di Sardegna Caladu opens up with masses of crushed blackberries, florals, spicy tangerine and smoke. It’s soft and enveloping, contrasted by depths of wild berries, savory herbs and salty mineral notes. This tapers off dry with a twang of tart black fruits over a subtle coating of fine tannin. The zesty 2016 Caladu is ready to please. (Eric Guido, Vinous, March 2021)
— 4 years ago
Agricola Punica
Montessu Isola dei Nuraghi Carignane Blend 2018
The 2018 Montessu Isola dei Nuraghi mixes crushed violets with hints of blackberry and spice to form an alluring bouquet. This is a feminine and understated effort, showcasing floral-laced woodland berries, minerals and juicy acids. It tapers off clean and poised with lingering notes of sweet plum and licorice. While this vintage doesn’t show the power that I usually associate with this wine, it is a well-balanced expression that will excel at the dinner table. (Eric Guido, Vinous, March 2021)
— 4 years ago
Cantina Santadi
Terre Brune Carignano del Sulcis Superiore Carignane 2015
Black raspberries, crushed violets, exotic spices and hints of cocoa can all be found while swirling the 2015 Carignano del Sulcis Superiore Terre Brune. It’s deep and textural, offering ripe red fruits lifted by brisk acids, and taking on more of a floral persona toward the close, hovering over a layer of round tannins. This is persistent yet youthfully structured, tapering off to notes of mocha and hints of brown sugar. (Eric Guido, Vinous, March 2021)
— 4 years ago
Cardedu
Praja Monica 2019
The 2019 Monica di Sardegna Praja opens with a sweet-and-sour display of cranberries, pomegranate and autumnal spice. It’s cool-toned and lively, mixing tart red fruits with wild herbal tones. This has energy to burn, tapering off lively and fresh but also with a salty twang of minerals that keeps you coming back to the glass. (Eric Guido, Vinous, March 2021)
— 4 years ago
Argiolas
Turriga Isola dei Nuraghi Red Blend 2016
The 2016 Isola dei Nuraghi Turriga is intense, spicy and packed full of tart blackberry and cherry, further complicated by shavings of cedar and animal musk. It’s silky and polished in feel, displaying an unexpected elegance. The dark fruits and exotic spice give way to grippy tannins and minerals toward the close. The palate aches under its youthful tension, with notes of black currants, bitter coffee and tobacco lasting for well over a minute. The 2016 Turriga will need some time in the cellar to show its best, but it will be worth the wait. It’s a blend of 85% Cannonau, 5% Carignano, 5% Bovale Sardo and 5% Malvasia Nera. (Eric Guido, Vinous, March 2021)
— 4 years ago
Mora & Memo
Tino Vermentino di Sardegna 2019
The 2019 Vermentino di Sardegna Tino pulls you close to the glass with a display of lime-tinged florals, nectarine and hints of salty sea air. This is wonderfully fresh and vibrant, balancing zesty acids with ripe orchard fruits and exotic citrus tones. Its clean, salty finale makes for a pleasant punctuation to the experience. (Eric Guido, Vinous, March 2021)
— 4 years ago
Mora & Memo
Nau Cannanou di Sardegna 2019
The extroverted and fruit-forward 2019 Cannonau di Sardegna Nau shows ripe strawberries and plums and a balancing note of savory wild herbs. It’s soft and fleshy in feel, matching its noticeable inner sweetness with mineral-tinged red fruits and spices. There’s plenty of energy and depth here despite the front-loaded personality, tapering off floral and unexpectedly fresh. (Eric Guido, Vinous, March 2021)
— 4 years ago
Argiolas
Korem Isola dei Nuraghi IGT Red Blend 2017
The 2017 Korem is a sweetly scented and perfumed effort presenting notes of crushed black cherries and spicy oak front and center. Its textures are velvety and rich in feel, with polished black fruits offset by hints of bitter espresso bean and tobacco. A fine coating of tannin lingers through the youthfully structured finale, along with hints of plum, licorice and lavender. This blend of 85% Bovale, 10% Carignano and 5% Cannonau needs a year or two to resolve some of its oak, yet it has the balance to mature positively over the medium term. (Eric Guido, Vinous, March 2021)
— 4 years ago
Agricola Punica
Barrua Isola dei Nuraghi Carignane 2016
Crushed wild berries, violets, incense and sweet spices lift up from the 2016 Barrua. It is silky in texture with a polished display of red and black fruits, well balanced by tactile mineral notes that form toward the close. Hints of fine tannin linger throughout the pretty, purple-tinged finale. The 2016 could use another year or two to flesh out a bit, but I expect that it will always be a more lifted and leaner expression of Barrua. This is a blend of 70% Carignan, 10% Syrah, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Cabernet Franc. (Eric Guido, Vinous, March 2021)
— 4 years ago
Delectable Wine
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A deep amber with orange hues, the 1968 Vernaccia di Oristano Riserva comes to life slowly in the glass. At first, it’s dusty and dark with smoky wood tones, tobacco and brown spice. It blossoms with time, taking on notes of dried flowers, quince and spiced citrus. It’s deeply textural, almost creamy, yet balance is maintained through brisk acids that enliven its notes of baked apple and honeyed almonds. This is almost salty, as it finishes incredibly long with a nutty richness, resonating on hints of cacao and cinnamon. For all of its power, there’s a beautiful harmony to be found here. You could lose yourself in this wine. Wow. The 1968 Riserva spent 50 years maturing in chestnut barrels prior to bottling. (Eric Guido, Vinous, March 2021)
— 4 years ago