2013 Cantina della Vernaccia 'Judikes' Vernaccia di Oristano DOC 500ml

Cantina della Vernaccia Judikes is made using 100% Vernaccia di Oristano a native white grape variety from the Tirso Valley, perfectly suited to the valley's alluvial soils where it achieves full ripeness of the fruit with high sugar content and best expression of the varietal.

Judikes is amber golden-yellow, and crystal clear; the wine bouquet is wide and complex, rich in intense aromas such as honey, almond and saffron. Its complexity is traditionally expressed by the term murruai, a Sardinian word meaning “perfumed with myrrh”, intense, extremely complex and spicy. Even though the nose seems to anticipate something sweet, the wine is absolutely dry on the palate, warm and harmonic, depending also on its high acidity which balances the smooth parts and guarantees drinkability and very long potential life. Its long maturation is responsible for great structure and persistence, producing a balanced, polished and elegant wine

Traditionally drunk as an aperitif, it perfectly matches with Sardinian mullet bottarga (cured mullet roe), blue cheeses or to round off a meal with Sardinian plain pastries, mostaccioli di Oristano and even dark hazelnut chocolate. The best pairing is still with amaretti di Oristano (typical almond biscuits).                                                           Best served at 14-16 °C - 16% abv

Soil: Alluvial soil; medium-sandy texture. Flowing down the plain and flooding for centuries, Tirso river created soils which are naturally fertile and very draining, due to the presence of sand and occasional pebbles. These soils, typical of the Tirso Valley, are called “Bennaxi”. Here Vernaccia finds its ideal habitat.

Vineyard size: 1,5 ha

Training system: Bush-trained (Sardinian alberello).

Fertilizers: Natural organic.

Plant protection products: Traditional; sulphur and copper.

Fermentation: Fermentation off skins. Traditional spontaneous fermentation in concrete vats with no use of temperature control. Starting sugar content of the must has to be at least 21° Babo (corresponding to 24.4 °Bx), in order to guarantee the future alcohol content, essential for ageing and maturation.

Ageing: In the spring following harvest, the new wine is moved into durmast and chestnut barrels of different sizes, which are not filled to capacity to allow the characteristic film of “flor” yeasts to form, the same yeasts that carried out alcoholic fermentation and that will follow the wine during the whole ageing process. In the Reserve version, Vernaccia ages in wooden barrels for at least 15 years.