Last week, the Winetraders team travelled out to Sardinia with clients to visit Ledda in Arzachena, Cantina Dorgali, and a number of artisanal producers in Italy’s hottest new region, Mamoiada. The views from the ‘Solianu’ vineyard at Ledda overlooking Sardinia’s place-to-be, Porto Cervo, are breathtaking.
Located in Sardinia’s only DOCG, Vermentino di Gallura, this vineyard was the subject of an extensive face lift – at an alleged cost of €1 million, the pre-existing quarry was levelled and planted with Vermentino in 1982. This created a unique, granular granitic terroir which, combined with the proximity to the sea and Mediterranean scrub, gives Ledda’s Vermentino its distinct Mediterranean profile. The peak clearly visible in the drone footage functions like a pommel in a saddle and channels the sea breeze over the vines. As a result, ripening can vary by as much as two weeks within the Solianu vineyard and pickers may need 6 or 7 ‘trie’ to pick everything at perfect ripeness. Andrea Ledda’s attention to detail is also apparent in the clones; there are five in this vineyard alone! You can also clearly see the inter-row cover crops – in this case pea to help fix nitrogen. Ledda is a non-expense-spared estate and their Vermentino di Gallura ‘Solianu’ reflects the meticulous detail paid to every step in production.
The scents of the Genista and Helichrysum bushes abundantly growing in the vineyards were immediately evocative of the herbal character we love in the ‘Solianu’ Vermentino. This wine has phenomenal acidity along with a captivating nose including rosemary, thyme, liquorice, almond oil and a lovely fresh, salty finish. With the simple grilled fish lunch we enjoyed it was absolute perfection.
#sardinia #vermentinodiGallura
