Country: Italy  Vintage: 2020 Region: Sardinia Category: Red wine  Colour: Red PRODUCER: Atzei Varietal: Monica Atzei is the newest Farnese project in Sardinia, a region that stoleValentino Sciotti’s heart since he worked there before starting hisimpressive career in wine. The oenological team is headed byDennis Verdicchia and supported by Sardinian winemaker DanieleManca, with the consultancy of Alberto Antonini. They producehigh quality wines from selected vineyards that are plantedaround the village of Mogoro, just south of Oristano in thesouthwestern part of the Island. As with the other Farnese ventures,this new project aims at producing wines from lesser-knownregions and varieties that are particularly suitable for theproduction of quality wines.VINEYARDSMonica, an indigenous grape variety, is sourced from bush-trainedvineyards located close to the village of Mogoro, in the AltaMarmilla sub-region of southern Sardinia. The soils are deep andpredominantly sand, which aids drainage and helps to retainheat, producing highly aromatic wines. Atzei follow a strictselection process in the vineyards at harvest, ensuring that only thevery best fruit is picked, and the resulting wines display excellentconcentration of flavours.VINIFICATIONAfter a 10-day maceration and soft pressing, the grapes werefermented using selected yeasts at a controlled temperature of 26-28°C. The wine was then aged for six months in a mixture ofFrench oak barriques and concrete tanks.TASTING NOTESA brilliant ruby red with purple reflections. ‘Saragat’ Monica hasintense notes of marasca cherry and plum with a hint of spice onthe palate, which shows great balance that is underpinned by aremarkable depth and silky tannins.