Agricola Punica Isola dei Nuraghi Barrua 2020 750ml

#69 in Top 100, 2025. Dark as night, the 2020 Isola dei Nuraghi Barrua smolders with a beguiling bouquet of sweet spice and pipe tobacco that gives way to plum sauce, grilled herbs and gravel dust. This is pure elegance. It’s velvety in feel with ripe red and black fruit tones that smooth over the palate as tension builds. Hints of blood orange and dark chocolate amass toward the close. Notes of fresh coffee grounds mingle with stony mineral tones and fine-grained tannins as the 2020 tapers off long, potent and structured. While more approachable than the typical Barrua at this age, the 2020 still possesses exceptional balance and complexity. Give it another year or two to blossom.

• Country: Italy
• Region: Sardinia
• Appellation: Isola Dei Nuraghi
• Size: 750ml
• Color: Red

Varietal

Carignan

Carignan is an ancient blue-skinned grape varietal, thought to be indigenous to the Aragon region of Spain. However, today it is most commonly associated with the fine wines of southern France, and has been grown in many countries around the world which have the warm and dry conditions it requires to thrive. Carignan is recognized as being quite a sensitive vine, highly susceptible to all kinds of rot and mildew, although producing excellent results when given the right conditions and handled correctly. Its high tannin levels and acidity make the Carignan grapes very astringent, and as such, they are often used as a blending grape to give body to other, lesser bodied varietals. Despite this, with careful treatment, Carignan can produce superb single varietal wines packed full of character and unique attributes.