Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/552044
26 { THE SOMM JOURNAL } AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2015 { varietals } VARIETAL CANNONAU DI SARDEGNA DOC Pala 2013 Cannonau di Sardegna "I Fiori" ($15) Deep, lush and juicy with ripe plum and black raspberry fruit; suave, mellow and balanced with a long, tangy finish. 90 BANVILLE WINE MERCHANTS Pala 2012 Cannonau di Sardegna Riserva ($20) Dark, dense and earthy with toasty spice and blackberry; smooth, deep and somewhat rustic. 87 BANVILLE WINE MERCHANTS Sella & Mosca 2011 Cannonau di Sardegna Riserva ($14) Smooth and earthy with tangy plum and dusty notes; spicy, balanced and supple; long and fresh on the finish. 88 PALM BAY INTERNATIONAL Vigne Surrau 2011 Cannonau di Sardegna ($17) Round, lush and juicy with wild cherry and black raspberry; spice, bright and balanced; focused and dense, long and lovely. 92 ZIGZAGANDO Vigne Surrau 2011 Sincaru, Cannonau di Sardegna ($29) Smooth and lush with dense texture, ripe plum and spice; bright and balanced, rich and juicy, long and deep. 92 ZIGZAGANDO ISOLA DEI NURAGHI IGT BLENDS Vigne Surrau 2011 Barriú, Isola dei Nuraghi IGT ($27) Ripe and jammy with tangy acidity and juicy berry fruit; lively, crisp and racy; long and lively. Cannonau, Carignano, Cabernet Sauvignon and Muristellu. 87 Vigne Surrau 2011 Rosso Surrau, Isola dei Nuraghi IGT ($24) Vibrant acidity and earthy plum and black raspberry; silky and dense; long and balanced. Cannonau, Carignano, Cabernet Sauvignon and Muristellu. 90 ZIGZAGANDO RESEARCHER DAN BUETTNER HAS BEEN INVESTIGATING the places in the world where people live the longest. One of the most significant of these enclaves—Buettner calls them "Blue Zones"—is the Italian island of Sardinia. On this rocky outpost there are more than ten times as many 100-year-olds as there are, propor- tionally, in the world's general population. To what does Buettner attribute the Sardinians longevity? The main cause is lifestyle—the island version of the Mediterranean diet. Sardinians consume a plant-based diet with lots of barley, almonds, goat cheese, moderate amounts of meat and three or four glasses of wine daily. And what is the wine they drink? Cannonau, a red wine based on a locally-grown grape often thought to be identi- cal to Grenache that is particularly high in bioflavonoids—powerful antioxidants such as resveratrol and quercetin. (See The SOMM Journal's October/November 2014 issue, p. 28, for a discussion of the controversy surrounding Cannonau's origin.) It turns out that Cannonau is a charming and fairly inexpensive wine that is readily available in the U.S. market, both as varietally labeled Cannonau di Sardegna DOC and in blends from the Isola dei Nuraghi IGT. Here are my tasting notes on a few of them. They may not help you to live longer, but they will certainly be recommended as a congenial accompaniment to a weekday dinner. The Italian island of Sardinia is a "Blue Zone" where people tend to live longer, according to researcher Dan Buettner. PHOTO: ILFEDE VIA THINKSTOCK The Long-Life Wine SARDINIA'S CANNONAU MAY CONTRIBUTE TO A "BLUE ZONE" OF HUMAN LONGEVITY by Anthony Dias Blue with a long, tangy finish.