Argiolas Costera

Costera Cannonau di Sardegna DOC bottle image

Wine Description

Argiolas is the foremost wine estate on the island of Sardinia producing archetypal wines from native varietals. The winery was founded in 1938 by Antonio Argiolas and was the first on the island to pursue quality over quantity. Today, the Argiolas family is recognized as Sardinia’s leading producer of wine.

Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies roughly 190 miles west of Italy's mainland. The vineyards of Argiolas are located in Serdiana in the Trexenta hills just north of the capital of Cagliari. Argiolas farms 600 acres of native Sardinian grapes including Nuragus, Monica, and Cannonau.

Costera, a name referring to hills, is made from Cannonau (Garnacha or Grenache). It is the workhorse red grape of Sardinia where it is likely to have arrived centuries ago from Spain, although an alternative theory suggests that Cannonau originated in Sardinia. In either case, Cannonau is well-adapted to the warm Sardinian climate and gives a deeply-colored, full-bodied red wine.

Antonio Argiolas
Argiolas Vineyard
Antonio, Francesca and Valentina Argiolas
Is Solinas
Autumn Vine
Argiolas Winery
accordion plus icons
Acclaim
“Deep aromas of blackberry, black cherry and mocha are complemented by balsamic nuances. Concentrated, sappy and savory, displaying saline nuances to the black cherry and plum flavors. Finishes with serious depth and the broad, polished tannins to support aging.”
— Vinous, Jan 2016
“Vibrant and spicy, this savory red delivers aromas and flavors of ripe blackberry, black cherry, ground pepper and chopped Mediterranean herb. Firm, fine-grained tannins support the juicy flavors. An anise note backs up the finish.”
— Wine Enthusiast, Oct 2015
View more acclaim Arrow Right
accordion plus icons
Vineyard & Production Info
Production area/appellation:
Cannonau di Sardegna DOC
Vineyard name
The Costera vineyard
Vineyard size
88 acres
Soil composition
Pebbly, Calcareous Clay-Loam
Training method
Guyot Gobelet
Elevation:
725 feet
Vines/acre:
2,200
Yield/acre:
2.0-2.4 tons
Exposure:
Southeastern
Year vineyard planted:
1975-1980
Harvest time:
October
First vintage of this wine:
1990
Bottles produced of this wine:
400,000
accordion plus icons
Winemaking & Aging
Maceration length:
2 days cool maceration prior to 3-4 week fermentation
Varietal composition:
90% Cannonau, 5% Bovale Sardo, 5% Carignano
Fermentation container:
Stainless steel tanks
Length of alcoholic fermentation:
3-4 weeks days
Fermentation temperature:
73 °F
Maceration technique:
Cold Soak Maceration and Racking
Malolactic fermentation:
Yes
Type of aging container:
Barriques and Cement vats
Size of aging container:
225 L (Barriques)
Type of oak:
French
Length of aging before bottling:
8-10 months (Barriques) and 5 months (Cement vats)
Age of Aging Container:
Two years (Barriques)
Length of bottle aging:
1 month
accordion plus icons
Analytical Data
pH level:
3.8
Acidity:
5.1 g/L
Alcohol:
14 %
Dry extract:
32 g/L
Residual sugar:
0.4 g/L