Barrua is deep crimson red in color with violet highlights and aromas of crushed fresh blackberries and a suave, silky palate supported by sweet, refined tannins and a fine note of acidity. Together, the color, fragrance, extract and alcohol achieve a degree of richness which yields wine of opulent suppleness, elegant tannins and finely tuned acidity: a textbook expression of the Carignano grape.

Technical notes

The Vineyard In 2002, Agricola Punica purchased a 370 acre estate divided between two sites: Barrua and Narcao, located in the southwest region of Sardinia, in an area known as Sulcis Meridionale. Though the vineyards lie within the D.O.C. of Carignano del Sulcis, the wine falls under the I.G.T. of Isola dei Nuraghi, a name referencing the ancient stone towers built by the Nuragic civilization which shaped the island’s development from the Neolithic age until 238 B.C., when Sardinia was brought under the Roman Empire. The Barrua vineyard lies inland from the coast and is planted to 25 acres of old, bush trained Carignano vines and 50 acres of new Carignano, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot vines. Soils are primarily clay mixed with some sand. The Narcao vineyard lies roughly four miles north and a little west of Barrua, slightly further inland. The southwest corner of Sardinia is a near perfect environment for the hot climate traits of the Carignano vine. Winters are mild and wet and summers torrid and dry with temperatures, stoked by the fierce scirocco African winds blowing across the Sardinian Sea, among the hottest in Italy. An extraordinary average of seven hours of sunlight daily enables the fruit to reach a level of ripeness such that polymerization of the tannins begins within the berry while it is still on the vine. “It is the amount of light that makes this the perfect region for Carignano based wines! The sun provides heat and light which causes grapes to mature very well. The Cabernet and Merlot mature much faster than they would in Bordeaux, for example. And on top of that, the wonderful influence from the sea regulates the extreme heat and stabilizes the climate,” recounts Giacomo Tachis.