This celebrated winery takes its name from the medieval town of Santadi, in the Sulcis peninsula of southwest Sardinia – a landscape of contrasts and dramatic beauty, where the pure white sand dunes of Porto Pino and the greenery of the Pantaleo forest and its centuries-old oak trees, cork trees and holly oaks call home. Founded in 1960, Cantina Santadi began as a partnership between fine local growers, making it deeply rooted in the Sulcis terroir. The Santadi vineyards cover 500 hectares (1,235 acres) of prime, gently rolling hills reaching right out to the sea. They are all within an eighteen-mile radius from the winery so that the fruit can be moved quickly.

This wine is obtained from Carignano grapes, with the modest presence of Bovaleddu, which comes from very antique vineyards where the grapevines aren’t grafted. But rather they are cultivated on saplings (Latin vineyards) in the best clayey and sandy areas of the lower region of Sulcis.

The sandy nature of the soil is conducive to the survival of pre-Phylloxera rootstock. In the words of enologist Raffaele Cani, “The parasite does attack the roots, producing small holes in them. These cavities, however, are immediately filled up by grains of sand that heal the wounds, as it were, allowing the plant to thrive in spite of Phylloxera.” Harvest takes place mid-September to early October.

Vinification in stainless steel with maceration on its skins for 15 days, allowing the fruit’s rich polyphenols to release into the must; precocious and complete malolactic fermentation; in December, the wine is racked into new, fine-grained French oak barrique where it ages for a maximum of eighteen months. Ages in bottle one year previous to release.

Intense crimson with slightly garnet highlights, very complex bouquet of impressive finesse, recalling plums, blueberries, sweet spices, bay leaves, juniper, tobacco and chocolate; very rich, fruity and spicy on the palate; round, amazing elegance and sweet, noble tannins. A top wine for Santadi, from their best grapes and best vineyards (pre-Phylloxera.)