Argiolas Is Solinas Carignano del Sulcis Riserva 2015
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James
Suckling -
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Enthusiast -
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Robert
Parker
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James Suckling
Aromas of walnuts, dark berries and flowers follow through to a full body, round and velvety tannins and a flavorful finish. Chewy. Needs to soften with time.
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Wine Enthusiast
Intense, alluring aromas of red berry, Mediterranean brush, eucalyptus and dark culinary spice virtually leap from the glass. It's smooth and full bodied, offering Marasca cherry, raspberry compote, star anise and a hint of saline alongside polished, enveloping tannins.
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Wine Spectator
Baked black cherry and fig cake notes are layered with fine, dusty tannins and citrus peel acidity in this harmonious, medium- to full-bodied red. Hints of dried rose petal, spice and smoke linger on the finish. Drink now through 2023.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
A pure expression of Sardinia's beloved Carignano grape, the 2015 Carignano del Sulcis Riserva Is Solinas is softly textured and packed tight with purple and black fruits. Those substantial aromas are highlighted this vintage, awash in warmth and sunny luminosity. It presents a second aromatic front with some light spice, tar and tobacco.
Other Vintages
2018-
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James
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Argiolas is the foremost wine estate on the island of Sardinia producing archetypal wines from native varietals. Antonio Argiolas, who died in 2009 at the age of 102, inherited seven acres of vines from his father in 1938 and was the first on the island to convert to modern viticulture to pursue quality over quantity. His sons, Franco and Giuseppe, replanted the vineyards in the 1980s with the goal of reducing yields and focusing exclusively on Sardinian grapes. Joined by enologist Mariano Murru, the Argiolas family is today recognized as Sardinia’s leading wine producer. Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies roughly 190 miles west of Italy's mainland. The kingdom of Aragón ruled Sardinia for 400 years and many of its vines came from Spain, including Bovale Sardo, Carignano, and Cannonau. The island can be divided into three principal viticultural areas: the north, influenced by the marine influence of the Costa Smeralda which specializes in Vermentino; the southwest, where Carignano is at its best; and the Trexenta hills north of the capital of Cagliari featuring Nuragus, Monica, and Cannonau. The vineyards of Argiolas are located in the areas of Trexenta and Sulcis where the family controls 600 acres planted to native Sardinian grapes. The Argiolas family has worked diligently to become the leader in Sardinian enology and insists on using native Sardinian vines. The winery produces both a classic and prestige line of wines. The classic wines are fresh in style and bottled under various DOCs, including Vermentino di Sardegna and Cannonau di Sardegna. The late Giacomo Tachis believed southern Sardinia possessed the “true soul of the island,” and helped create the prestige offerings of Argiolas, bottled under the Isola del Nuraghi IGT and aged in French barriques. These include Korem, based on Bovale Sardo, and the benchmark Cannonau blend Turriga.
Responsible for some of the most stunning old vine red wine on the planet, Carignan has an amazing capacity to survive dry, arid climates and still produce lovely, mouthwatering wine. In Spain it goes by the name of Mazuelo or Cariñena and while it may have originated there in the province of Aragón, its popularity lies elsewhere, particularly in Languedoc-Roussillon. Somm Secret—Historically Carignan did not enjoy the respect that it does today. In the mid 20th century, Carignan covered nearly 140,000 ha in Algeria, where it was made into low quality bulk and blending wine to supply mass-market demand.
Hailed for centuries as a Mediterranean vine-growing paradise, multiple cultures over many centuries have ruled the large island of Sardinia. Set in the middle of the Tyrrhenian Sea, the Phonoecians, Ancient Rome, and subsequently the Byzantines, Arabs and Catalans have all staked a claim on the island at some point in history. Along the way, these inhabitants transported many of their homeland’s prized vines and today Sardinia’s modern-day indigenous grape varieties claim multiple origins. Sardinia’s most important red grapes—namely Cannonau (a synonym for Grenache) and Carignan—are actually of Spanish origin.
Vermentino, a prolific Mediterranean variety, is the island’s star white. Vermentino has a stronghold the Languedoc region of France as well as Italy’s western and coastal regions, namely Liguria (where it is called Pigato), Piedmont (where it is called Favorita) and in Tuscany, where it goes by the name, Vermentino. The best Vermentino, in arguably all of the Mediterranean, grows in Sardinia's northeastern region of Gallura where its vines struggle to dig roots deep down into north-facing slopes of granitic soils. These Vermentino vines produce highly aromatic, full and concentrated whites of unparalleled balance.
Today aside from its dedication to viticulture, Sardinia remains committed to maintaining its natural farmlands, bucolic plains of grazing sheep and perhaps most of all, its sandy, sunny, Mediterranean beaches.