Santadi Onilos Cannonau 2022

Cantina Santadi, form Sardinia’s southwestern coastal region known as Sulcis, was founded in 1960 as a cooperative of local growers. Under the guidance of Antonello Pilloni, Santadi has become one of Sardinia’s, and Italy’s, finest wineries, with more than 200 growers farming 600 hectares. In the early 1980’s, Antonello called on the late Giacomo Tachis to consult for Santadi. Creator of Sassicaia, Tachis would go on to become the man behind Italian wine’s worldwide renaissance. The Sulcis peninsula is, geologically, Sardinia's most ancient area, rich in archaeological sites, and offers an astonishing palette of variations and contrasts, with coastal sand dunes, gentle hills and inlets, narrow strips of flatland and inland mountains, rugged cliffs overhanging the sea interspersed with silky-smooth white beaches, pine trees, junipers and vineyards. In these sandy soils, pre-phylloxera vines continue to survive and thrive.

This is a stunning little number, ruby-red wine from the island of Sardinia, Italy. Made from 100% Cannonau grapes, it offers up a vibrant and subtely complex bouquet of ripe red fruits, spices and fresh leather. This bucks the trend of many cannonau wines from the island who often come across as soupy and overblown but here we have a wonderfuly light on its feet version with tons of crunchy freshness and pure fruits. It really is a bit of fresh air and we would love to see more of these wines go this way embracing levity and energy over gaudy fruit profiles. Perfect mid-season drinking here and still pack a flavour punch.