Cardedu Vermentino di Sardegna Nuo 2022

100%organicallyfarmed Vermentino from 35 acres of vines in San Vito on crumbling granite soils with high levels of quartz, especially feldspar, that gives the soils a reddish tint. Fermented in stainless steel for six days at 15C, with 6-8 hours of skin contact. levage in room-large cement tanks from 1950s. Bottled unfiltered and unfined. Full malolactic fermentation. 20 mg/L added during the harvest and 20 mg/L added at the end of the vinification. 12.5% alcohol. 1,000 cases made.

Sergio Loi is a 4th generation traditional Sardinian producer, whose family winery from the early 1900s has always practiced no chemical farming and minimum intervention in the cellar. The Cardedu [car-DAY-do] vineyards are located on the islands sparsely populated southeast coast, where soils are crumbling granite near the coast and schist in ragged-dry cliffs around Jerzu.

Sardinian producers are now catching up in popularity to those of Italys other large island, Sicilia. One difference that remains is that Sardinia remains more lost in time. Cardedu balances on that edge of beingtraditional but also thoughtful, especially considering todays warmer climate. In the last few vintages extremely hot and dry Cardedu has made lower alcohol wines by picking earlier and careful vineyard management. The result, thankfully, isnt 10% alcohol overtly hipster juice without terroir, Sergio says; its just wine that tastes more like the cool vintages he enjoyed in the 70s.