Montessu and Barrua 

 

armit are delighted to announce that they have been appointed exclusive UK agents for the wines of Agricola Punica in the UK with immediate effect.

Situated in the south west of Sardinia, in an area known as “Sulcis Meridionale”,  the award winning Agricola Punica cellar is a joint venture between 5 partners: Sebastiano Rosa (winemaker at Tenuta San Guido, home of Sassicaia);Sardinian winery Cantina di Santadi, Tenuta San Guido, Santadi President Antonello Pilloni and legendary Tuscan consultant Giacomo Tachis.

The southwest corner of Sardinia is a near perfect environment for the hot climate traits of the Carignano vine.

“It is the amount of light that makes this the perfect region for Carignano based wines! The sun provides heat and light which causes grapes to mature very well. The Cabernet and Merlot mature much faster than they would in Bordeaux, for example. And on top of that, the wonderful influence from the sea regulates the extreme heat and stabilizes the climate,” recounts Giacomo Tachis

In 2002, Agricola Punica purchased a 370 acre estate divided between two sites: Barrua and Narcao, located in the region.  Though the vineyards lie within the D.O.C. of Carignano del Sulcis, the wine falls under the I.G.T. of Isola dei Nuraghi. The name comes from the ancient stone towers built by the Nuragic civilization which shaped the island’s development from the Neolithic age until 238 B.C., when Sardinia was brought under the Roman Empire.

Dr. Sebastiano Rosa's thoughts for the future are big, '"in the next 10 years, through intensley flavoured wines frm the deep, calcareous, clay and sandy soil.  Along with the unique climatic conditions, it produces beautiful, rich wines."

Carignano, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot are blended to create this wine which is then aged in French oak barriques for approximatley 15 months to enhance complexity.

Please click here to visit the Agricola Punica website.


Montessu 2007, Agricola Punica, IGT Isola dei Nuraghi - add to basket

£95.40 per 6 bottles inc. duty and VAT

This wine is created from vines cultivated in the Basso Sulcis area which produces intensely flavoured wines from the deep, calcareous, clay and sandy soil. Along with the unique climatic conditions (hot and arid in summer, and temperate in winter), it produces very rich wines.

Carignano, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot are blended to create this wine which is then aged in French oak barriques for approximately 15 months to enhance complexity.

 

Barrua 2006, Agricola Punica, IGT Isola dei Nuraghi - add to basket

£167.40 per 6 bottles inc. duty and VAT

The Barrua vineyard lies inland from the coast and is planted to 25 acres of old bush trained Carignano vines and 50 acres of new Carignano, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot vines. Soils are primarily clay mixed with some sand. The wine is made made exclusively from vines grown on the Barrua estate then hand harvested and aged in French oak barriques for 18 months. It is then aged in bottle for at least 12 months to achieve balance and depth.

Dr. Sebastiano Rosa thoughts for the future are big, “We are currently on track to plant another 70 hectares of vineyards by 2008, and our plan is to produce another two Carignano based wines sometime in the next 10 years, bringing our maximum production up to 25,000 cases. Through our combined knowledge of both the land and our winemaking capabilities, our plans for Agricola Punica are to make the best Sardinian wines possible.”