2022 ChevernyDomaine du Salvard
France | Loire
$22
Producers
This inky, chewy blend of Cannonau with the native Muristellu boasts a strikingingly wild perfume that soars from the glass. It is raw, pure, unbridled Sardinian lifeblood to complement barbecues and roast game. Look out, this one is a palate-stainer—toothbrush sold separately.
—Anthony Lynch
Wine Type: | red |
Vintage: | 2020 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | 70% Cannonau, 30% Muristellu |
Appellation: | Isola dei Nuraghi |
Country: | Italy |
Region: | Sardinia |
Producer: | Deperu Holler |
Winemaker: | Carlo Deperu |
Vineyard: | 10 years, 2 ha |
Soil: | Cannonau: Limestone, marl; Muristellu: Limestone, shell deposits |
Farming: | Organic (practicing) |
Alcohol: | 14% |
Deperu Holler Italy | Sardinia | Isola dei Nuraghi
Deperu Holler Italy | Sardinia | Isola dei Nuraghi
Deperu Holler Italy | Sardinia | Vermentino di Gallura
Vigne Rada Italy | Sardinia | Vermentino di Sardegna
Giovanni Montisci Italy | Sardinia
Giovanni Montisci Italy | Sardinia | Vino da Tavola
Our first foray into Sardegna is very recent, and it only took one trip to fall in love with the island, its culture, and its wines. Similar to its northerly neighbor, Corsica, there is a strong regional identity here that goes far beyond its official status as one of Italy’s twenty regions. Its people are proud, strong-willed, and deeply attached to their traditions—a distinctive character often seen with island people and accentuated by its long history of invasions and outside rule.
This tumultuous past has resulted in diverse influences—Greek, Roman, Aragonese, Catalan, and Ligurian, just to name a few—that have shaped the island’s culture, language, cuisine, and wines over many centuries. While Vermentino and Cannonau (aka Grenache) reign, Sardegna also boasts a number of indigenous grapes that are capable of expressing something unique in its abundant variety of terroirs.
The Mediterranean plays a major role, providing cooling, salty breezes to coastal areas, while the rugged, mountainous interior is home to high-altitude sites where wines retain freshness in spite of the southerly latitude. The granitic highlands of Gallura and Barbagia come to mind as some of its most qualitative zones, but a range of soils, elevations, and varying distance to the sea mean that the island is capable of producing wines in all styles, from crisp whites to powerful reds and exquisite vini dolci.
The three growers we represent bring something new to the table, something fascinating that is not found elsewhere in Italy or even in nearby Corsica. Their wines evoke the rustic beauty of this fascinating island civilization, and of course, pair perfectly with the local cuisine, be it seafood-based or the hearty, earthy specialties of its interior.
Vigne Rada Italy | Sardinia | Alghero
Vigne Rada Italy | Sardinia | Cannonau di Sardegna
Giovanni Montisci Italy | Sardinia | Cannonau di Sardegna
Deperu Holler Italy | Sardinia | Isola dei Nuraghi
Giovanni Montisci Italy | Sardinia | Cannonau di Sardegna
Deperu Holler Italy | Sardinia | Vermentino di Gallura
Giovanni Montisci Italy | Sardinia | Vino da Tavola
Vigne Rada Italy | Sardinia | Vermentino di Sardegna
Giovanni Montisci Italy | Sardinia | Vino Rosso
Vigne Rada Italy | Sardinia | Vermentino di Sardegna
Giovanni Montisci Italy | Sardinia
Every three or four months I would send my clients a cheaply made list of my inventory, but it began to dawn on me that business did not pick up afterwards. It occurred to me that my clientele might not know what Château Grillet is, either. One month in 1974 I had an especially esoteric collection of wines arriving, so I decided to put a short explanation about each wine into my price list, to try and let my clients know what to expect when they uncorked a bottle. The day after I mailed that brochure, people showed up at the shop, and that is how these little propaganda pieces for fine wine were born.—Kermit Lynch
Drinking distilled spirits, beer, coolers, wine and other alcoholic beverages may increase cancer risk, and, during pregnancy, can cause birth defects. For more information go to www.P65Warnings.ca.gov/alcohol
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