More wines available from Agricola Punica
Pre-Arrival
Agricola Punica Isola Dei Nuraghi Barrua 2012
750ml - 1 Bottle
Bottle:
$65.70
I thought the 2011 was the best ever from this stylish wine producer in Sardinia. But the 2012 is clearly better...
Pre-Arrival
Agricola Punica Isola Dei Nuraghi Barrua 2017
750ml - 1 Bottle
Bottle:
$60.83
Very beautiful aromas of violets, purple fruit, fresh lavender and thyme follow through to a medium body with...
750ml
Bottle:
$47.16
$52.40
Colour: Lively, deep ruby-red; nature's gift.
Perfume: Complex scent of ripe red fruit (mainly black cherry), spices,...
More Details
Winery
Agricola Punica
Vintage: 2008
2008 saw very high yields across wineries in much of the southern hemisphere, as a result of highly favorable climatic conditions. Although in many areas, these high yields brought with them something of a drop in overall quality, this could not be said for South Australia's wines, which were reportedly excellent. Indeed, the 2008 Shiraz harvest in South Australia is said to be one of the most successful in recent decades, and western Australia's Chardonnays are set to be ones to watch out for. New Zealand's Pinot Noir harvest was also very good, with wineries in Martinborough reportedly very excited about this particular grape and the characteristics it revealed this year.
Pinot Noir also grew very well in the United States, and was probably the most successful grape varietal to come out of California in 2008, with Sonoma Coast and Anderson Valley delivering fantastic results from this grape. Elsewhere in United States, Washington State and Oregon had highly successful harvests in 2008 despite some early worries about frost.
However, it was France who had the best of the weather and growing conditions in 2008, and this year was one of the great vintages for Champagne, the Médoc in Bordeaux, Languedoc-Roussillon and Provence, with Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay grapes leading the way. Italy, too, shared many of these ideal conditions, with the wineries in Tuscany claiming that their Chianti Classicos of 2008 will be ones to collect, and Piedmont's Barberesco and Barolo wines will be recognized as amongst the finest of the past decade.
Varietal: Carignan
Carignan is thought to have originated in the Aragon region of Spain, but has spread throughout the Old and New worlds due to its unique characteristics and powerful flavors and features. Today, it is most notably cultivated in Languedoc in France, in Algeria, Sardinia and California, where it is most commonly used as a blending varietal, as its strong tannins and high levels of acidity help boost weaker wines and make them more complex. Carignan is often seen as something of a challenging grape varietal for wineries, as although it often produces high yields, it is particularly susceptible to various forms of rot and fungus. However, when handled carefully and given the correct conditions, the results can be stunning.
Country: Italy
For several decades in the mid to late twentieth century, Italy's reputation for quality wines took a fairly serious blow. This was brought about partly due to lack of regulation in certain regions, and too much regulation in others. This led to several wineries in the beautiful and highly fertile region of Tuscany making the bold move to work outside of the law, which they saw as responsible for the drop in quality in Tuscan wines. They believed that they had the expertise and the generations of experience necessary with which to make truly excellent, world class wines, and set about doing just that. These 'Super Tuscans', as they came to be known, quickly inspired the rest of Italy to improve their produce, and now, Italian wine producers in the twenty-first century are widely recognised to be amongst the best in the world. Regulation and law began to change, and wine drinkers across the globe woke up to the outstanding wines coming out of Italy, which are continuing to improve and impress to this day.