89
Olianas 2017 Bovale Perdixi Isola dei Nuraghi 14.5%
Ruby-rimmed, deeply flavorful and seriously savory, this unusual blend of 75% Bovale (aka Graciano) and 25% Carignane possesses plenty of charming top notes. Clay soils dominate the vineyard sources, so the near-grandiose breadth of the palate intensity isn't surprising. What is texturally captivating is the vivid yet suave grip of the tannins followed by the soaring - even prickly - acidity. Cranberry verve and red plum crunch give this wine youthful vibrancy that should hold nicely in the mid-term. It will be hard to resist this wine before these drink dates.
Drink: 2019-21

88
Olianas 2018 Vermentino di Sardegna 13.5%
This is one of the more stern, reserved versions of this wine that I have tasted recently. It is pent up and moody now, but considering this version's youth and its predecessors, I think that there soon is more to unfold from this wine's underlying and devoutly mineral tones. Surely part of this wine's currently reserved effusiveness comes from its partial vinification on skins in stainless steel as well as in aphora, both approaches fermented with an array of purchased and winery-cultivated yeasts. Moreover, 30% of this wine sees oak barrel aging for 5-6 months. It has been bottled quickly, so undersdtandably it has an awful lot of integrating to do. As this white warms up, it offers slightly more floral aromatics. There's more to set in and flesh out, if one has the patience of even just a few months! Still, it is a very interesting sip right now.
Drink: Late 2018-2020