Cannonau

Of all the Italian grenaches, the cannonau is probably the best known. Sardinian red vine par excellence, Mediterranean and marine, the cannonau embodies at the same time a rather rich, opulent and horizontal version of the grenache. Probably of Iberian origin, of course, it has been documented in Sardinia since the eighteenth century and has spread to all the wine-growing areas of the island, although it is considered classic in small areas such as Oliena, where it gives life to the legendary Nepente, and Jerzu, where excellent reserves stand out. Slightly late, cannonau has a beautiful ruby colour, tending to garnet with ageing. It can, in fact, be vinified fresh and crunchy, especially fruity, but also after aging in wood, with more round, complex, soft and long-lived results. It acquires, in these cases, spicy and toasty notes, a more elegant tannic structure, preserving its natural rather pronounced alcohol content. The persistence is usually long, thanks to the concentration and the fruity and ethereal aromatic returns.