Schirru
About
Marco and Michele, however, through their paternal family, have around 4.5ha of old vines, some 100 years old and more; these have been protected by their grandparents and parents, who produced wine for local consumption since the brothers were children. Over the years, Michele began a specialty pig farm and charcuterie production, focusing on heirloom breeds of animal particular to inland Sardegna, and Marco returned from advanced university studies (philosophy, in particular). The pair of them began to think about their patrimony and heritage, what stands to be lost entirely in rural Sardegna—a peasant way of life, with its certain forms of artisan work that communicate place in a rooted and powerful way.
The wines we have on offer from Schirru are simple in terms of how they’re made: mostly drawn from old plots of bush-trained vines, with a few young cordone speronato plantings in the mix, the varieties are all endemic: Bovale, Nuragus, Vermentino, Monica, and more. Harvests are all done by hand and micro-lots are usually selected in the vineyards to keep the ferments specific and detailed. The style of vinification is not complicated: a light touch of maceration for the whites, traditional red-wine vinification; whites in stainless steel, reds in a mix of neutral barrel and steel. No fining or filtering; SO2 is used in small amounts if needed, usually at racking or bottling when it’s deemed necessary.
Products
'Arkimia' Bianco
Organic. 100% Nuragus. 'Arkìmia' is a term of Latin origin for alchemic practices meant to change 'vile metals' into gold. Schirru chose this name because the native variety Nuragus has often been mistreated; in the past it was called 's’axina de is pobrusu,' or 'the grape of the poor,' since for many farmers it had the function of a being a commodity, debt-paying crop due to its high yields. Arkìmia is Schirru's intention to transform the misunderstood Nuragus into gold. The vineyard parcel is one of Schirru's two most important family plots; this bush-trained vineyard is called 'Senussi,' located in their home village of Orroli. The vines are 25, 55, and 120 years of age throughout different pieces of the vineyard. Soils are pure schist with little topsoil, located between 300-500msl. The fruit is always hand-harvested, fermented with 24 hrs' skin contact in stainless steel. Aged in steel for 11 months on fine lees, unfined, unfiltered. A noble, deep, complex white wine, for lovers of Xarel.lo or whites from the northern Rhône.
Biancu
Organic. 60% Vermentino, 35% Nuragus, 5% Semidano, Malvasia, and other minor, endemic Sardinian varieties. Drawn from one of the two important vineyard plots at the Schirru domaine; this bush-trained parcel is called 'Lattias,' located in the neighboring village of Arrodu. The old vines that form the core of the vineyard are 65 years old; newer plantings have been interspersed to support the old--seven year-old vines for those. The vineyard is on pure schist soils with very little topsoil; it sits between 300-530m of altitude. Hand-harvested as late as October, with some lots undergoing brief macerations depending on the variety. Ferments and aging all happen in stainless steel. 11 mos' aging on fine lees; blending happens before bottling; the wine is unfined and unfiltered. 'Biancu' is what the Sardo locals all referred to previously as any white wine that was a mix of varieties in the field.
'Fastigiu' Rosso
Organic. 50% Bovalleddu (aka Muristellu), 25% Bovale Grande, 25% Monica. 'Fastìgiu' is Sardinian for 'courtship;' with the two different varieties that make up this blend needing to find harmony inside the bottle. Schirru describes it as: "on one side, the delicate and soft shoulders of Monica; on the other, the robust, rustic, vigorous form of Bovale." This is a younger vines planting inside the Schirru family's home vineyard called 'Lattias;' vines are seven and ten years old, with the Bovale varieties bush-trained and Monica trained in cordone speronato. The vineyard sits between 300-500msl on pure schist soils with very little topsoil. Harvests are always done by hand; different small lots within the vineyard are selected for separate fermentations. Overall, Fastìgiu is fermented and aged in 2/3 used barriques, 1/3 stainless steel for 12 months. Unfined, unfiltered. Robust, perfumed, with fine tannic structure and a clear ability to age: this should appeal to lovers of the deeper versions of Barolo or elegant Bordeaux.
'Arrogusu' Rosso
Organic. 95% Monica; 5% Bovalleddu, Tintillu, Cannonau, Barbera, Girò -- all coplanted in this very old, intense vineyard site. 'Arrògusu' is the Sardinian word for 'pieces' or 'shreds;' the name represents the old viticultural practice of extreme 'parcelization,' typical of the territory, where historically, single plots rarely exceeded one hectare and often belonged to many owners. Here Schirru tries to unite many tiny old plots in this vineyard called 'Senussi' into a single wine, a direct expression of terroir. The clone of Monica that is in this vineyard is a particularly old one and endemic to the interior of Sardegna. This is the highest plot Schirru owns at 500msl; it's on pure schist soils with almost no topsoil; the vines here are both 65 and 120 years old. Harvest is always by hand and separated out into mini-lots within different pockets of the vineyard. Fermentations happen in a mix of neutral barriques and steel; the final blend is about 2/3 wood to 1/3 steel. Aging for 12 months on fine lees, unfined, unfiltered. A magisterial wine of structure, in need of time, an attentive drinker, and probably a plate of Fiore Sardo; it reminds us of the great red wines of the southern Rhône, but wilder, more scrubby and free.
