2008 Taja – Wines from Sardinia

Huzzah! We know that in our earlier post about Wines From Sardinia, we mentioned that we had lost our tasting notes on the wines. We found them, and here’s the white: Taja.

Type: Dry white
Made from: Vermentino
Plays well with: Salad, seafood, a summer’s pasta salad

We think the vermentino grape deserves its own spotlight. Yes, it’s blended into countless Italian wines, but the Taja, bottled under the Nuovi Poderi Cantina label, is one of those rare treasures that features the grape on its own.

It’s easy enough to approach. The golden color could be mistaken for a decent chardonnay. But the nose is something else. Floral, say, honeysuckle, and similar to a viognier. But there’s an interesting additional element: myrrh. Myrrh is a resin with a long tradition beyond the Three Magi’s gifts. It has a musky aroma that is not off-putting but would remind you of someone’s cologne – hopefully in a good way.

Flavor-wise, there’s the taste of melon and apple, which are cool climate traits. Lots of good acids to quench the thirst and clean the palate in advance of the next bite of shrimp cocktail, prosciutto with melon or a good salty Reggiano parmesan cheese.

Vermentino should not be oaked or watered down. There are some nice offerings these days, making it a nice change from the chardonnay or even our beloved sauvignon blanc.

Please tell us what you think.

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