Happy Thirsty Thursday everyone. The weekend draws near. To help get us there, we travel (metaphorically) to the island of Sardinia.

Just South of Napoleon’s Corsica, Sardinia has been the Mediterranean’s Scotland: isolated, occasionally invaded, but fiercely independent. Interestingly, grapes from Southern France and Spain, not Italy, trickled down here.  Carignan, Grenache, Syrah, Cab, Rolle dominate plantings.

The IGT “Isola dei Nuraghi” confuses nearly everyone but Italians.  It covers the whole island of Sardinia. These Nuraghi are ancient towers, some 7,000 survive from a pre-phoenician civilization (1900 BCE to 730 BCE).

They are cool towers but have little to do with wine.  This IGT exists to keep grapes varieties off labels and free winemakers of the more restrictive DOC rules. And thus Olianas’s winemaker, Stephano Casadei ferments 50% Bovale (aka Graciano), 25% Carignano, and 25% Cannonau (aka Grenache) separately, blends, and then pops the wine into French bariques for a year.  They call it Perdixi: Italian for partridge. Let’s try it.

Olianas, Perdixi, Isola Dei Nuraghi, Sardinia Italy 2012

Its APPEARANCE looks a clear, medium plus ruby rimmed color with a purple core. AROMAS smell of plus intense, layered kirsch, dried blueberry, lavender, ginger snap cookies, tobacco, and salt. The PALATE feels dry, with medium acidity, soft tannins, a moderated, warm alcohol akin to slow-burning stones at a spa. The body is medium plus and texture feels smooth, modern, yet somehow lean. FLAVORS are medium intense but complex: black cherry, iron, hay, dark sugar, raspberry, and candied orange peel.

Olianas’ Perdixi  is a modern, slick, well-balanced yet not boring red with ample complexity for grilled meats, lamb, funky tempeh, aged hard cheese, garlic, tomato magic.  Very good (4 of 5).