For a lot of sommeliers (myself included), the Platonic ideal of red Grenache is Châteauneuf-du-Pape from Château Rayas. There are other Grenache-focused stylists in Châteauneuf, and some Spanish Garnacha stalwarts in Priorat/Montsant, while in Italy, the Grenache mountaintop is covered with Cannonau di Sardegna.
But just as Rayas is something of an outlier in a region that allows for wide variations in a wine’s varietal composition (and therefore its style), the style spectrum of Cannonau di Sardegna—despite containing 100% Grenache—is broad. As the climate warms, we’re seeing lots of syrupy, alcohol-rich Grenache/Garnacha/Cannonau. But there are also wines that showcase the variety’s prettier, more perfumed, Pinot Noir-ish side—like today’s marvelous 2016 from Vinicola Cherchi. This the kind of wine I think of when I think of Cannonau di Sardegna: juicy; redolent of wild herbs and flowers; exuberantly fruity; with silky-soft tannins yet lively freshness. Sardinia is a hot climate, so alcohol can get elevated, but when there’s enough acidity to counterbalance it we’re okay. Today’s wine achieves that balance, transporting you right to the heart of the Mediterranean without overheating. As someone who’s spent time in the area where this wine is made, my reaction to it was visceral: Oh, do I want to go back!
That area, to put a finer point on it, is the northwestern corner of Sardinia, between Sassari and Alghero, in a village called Usini. Giovanni Cherchi started out here with two hectares of vines in 1970, selling his fruit to nearby co-ops, before starting to bottle his own wines in 1980. Although he remains the family figurehead, the day-to-day operations today fall to his children—Salvatore, Annalisa, and Maria. The estate has grown to 30 hectares of sustainably-farmed vines in one of Italy’s most varied, most productive agricultural landscapes. Alghero, and the Mediterranean, are just a half-hour away, exposing the vines to sea breezes and the favorable day-night temperature swings they bring. Of their 30 hectares, just 5% are planted to Cannonau, in soils of clay, sand, and limestone.
The Cannonau di Sardegna DOC (denomination of controlled origin) covers the entire island, which accounts for at least some of the stylistic variations in the wines. Italian wine fans often hear descriptions of Sardinia’s soils as being solidly granitic—which they often are, as in the Gallura region in the northeast. As it does in Burgundy, the limestone of the Sassari-Usini area appears to have a positive effect on the Cannonau grown there, especially in terms of its finesse and freshness. That, to me, is what makes today’s 2016 special: It is pure joy to drink, with no heat and no excess extract.
In the glass, Cherchi’s ’16 is a bright garnet-red moving to pink and a hint of orange at the rim, with vibrant, inviting aromas of wild strawberry, red currant, blood orange, lavender, coriander, myrtle, licorice, and pepper. It is medium-bodied, with silky tannins facilitating early drinking, and like most Cannonau of this style I suggest serving it on the cooler side—55-60 degrees—in Burgundy stems to accentuate the fruit and florals. As for food to pair with it, well, Sardinian-style
porchetta would be the ultimate—but not everyone is inclined to dig a pit in the ground and slow-roast a suckling pig in it overnight. I’m a huge fan of the attached recipe, which I’ve shared before, as a compromise. Whatever you do, try this wine; this is Cannonau done right!
