TASTE
Pala’s flagship wine is deep, complex, and exquisitely balanced. The intense ripe fruit combines with an almond freshness, while a few years’ bottle age has brought out savoury elements.
PRODUCER
Sardinia’s mixture of wine matches its location: as well as sharing the Vermentino with Corsica, Provence and western Italy, it has also received considerable input from Spain, in the form of Cannonau (Grenache), Bovale (Graciano) and Carignano. Pala capture this diversity, offering wines of modern purity with genuine Sardinian style. Salvatore Pala established the estate in 1950, and it is now run by third-generation Mario Pala.
VINEYARD
Grapes for the S’Arai are sourced from the Tanca S’Arai vineyard, which contains 40-67 year old vines. The vineyard is 150-180 metres above sea level, on calcareous clay soils.
WINERY
Fruit from the various blocks were vinified separately. Crushing of the grapes was followed by maceration at a controlled temperature. Selected yeasts were added and fermentation followed in stainless steel vats at 22-24oC. The wine rested for a few days before the final blend was assembled. After a month’s settling, the final blend was aged for eight to ten months in 225-litre French oak barriques.