2023 Kintari, Vermentino di Gallura Superiore DOCG, Saraja, Sardinia, Italy.
The bright, light gold hued and mineral toned Kintari Saraja builds nicely on the medium bodied palate and has a good textural mouth feel with green apple, peach and zesty citrus fruits and is a solid example of Sardinia’s only DOCG wine. There’s everything you’d expect from a Vermentino di Gallura with steely notes, wet stone and subtle tropical essences with a dry and crisp vitality that makes it great with classic Sardinian sea foods.
As noted, Vermentino di Gallura is Sardinia’s only DOCG appellation, and it covers only 100% Vermentino-based wines from an area at the northern end of the island with the DOCG including a range of dry and sweet versions, along with sparkling wine. These Vermentino di Gallura wines, from vines set on mainly granite and sandy soils, done dry like this one, are typically fermented and lees aged in stainless steel, using riper grapes to promote body and richness. They also have a good acidic backbone and a fine tension with saline, light herbal notes, as well as delicate florals, which allows for a surprisingly good aging potential, as this one shows.
($22 Est.) 91 Points, grapelive