2022 Antonella Corda, Cannonau di Sardegna - Liberty

Antonella Corda, the granddaughter of famed viticulturist Antonio Argiolas, founded her eponymous Sardinian winery in 2010 after completing a Masters degree in viticulture and winemaking at the prestigious Edmund Mach Foundation. Her approach blends proud, century-old family winemaking traditions with ambition and innovation.

Antonio lived to the age of 104 and left Antonella two of his prized vineyards, located around the village of Serdiana, a few kilometres north of Cagliari. Here, the mild climate, water availability and rich calcareous soils create wines with a unique character and signature freshness. Antonella follows a sustainable approach and farms her vineyards organically.

The Vermentino is grown in Antonio’s favourite vineyard, Mitza Manna. This seven-hectare vineyard is planted on calcareous soils, which enhance Vermentino’s natural freshness and floral bouquet. Aged for six months on its lees in stainless steel vats, the resulting wine is fragrant and intense with enticing Mediterranean herb notes. The Cannonau hails from the Mitza S‘Ollastu vineyard. Here, the soil, a mix of clay, loam, sand and pebbles, ensures perfect balance in the final wine. Thanks to the light use of oak, Antonella has created an elegant wine with typical Cannonau aromas, delicate tannins, and a spicy hint of white pepper on the finish.

Fruit for this wine comes from the Mitza S'Ollastu vineyard located between the townships of Serdiana and Ussana to the north of Cagliari. The vineyard sits on the bed of an ancient river and its soil is a mixture of clay, loam, sand and pebbles. This soil ensures the perfect balance to give the wine a decisive character. Vines are trained using the Guyot system and are planted at a density of 4,545 vines per hectare.

The 2022 vintage was rainier than usual, with 549mm of rainfall, compared to the average of 458mm. Winter was mild, and there was very little frost in the spring. June was warmer than average, resulting in riper grapes in some plots. Overall, it was a very generous and healthy vintage, with higher production levels compared to the year before but still in line with the average.

The grapes were transported to the winery and destemmed. After a period of pre-fermentation maceration on the skins, they were gently pressed before undergoing fermentation in stainless-steel tanks. Pumping over was carried out using CO2 pressure, without the use of mechanical pumps. Most of the wine was then aged in stainless-steel vats, with around 10-15% aged in barriques.

This wine shows the typical aroma profile of the Cannonau: aromas of cherries, raspberries and blackberries accompany more complex and delicate notes of roses and white pepper. The palate shows concentration and very delicate tannins with a spicy hint of white pepper on the finish.