DARDANO

Dardano is the red wine of Cantine Lulli — and it is, in the estate's own description, an incredibly original wine and a rare production in the oenological background of Italy, bringing back some glory to the traditions of winemaking in Rome. It is built on the Nerobuono grape — an extremely rare Lazio indigenous variety — combined with minimal quantities of Sangiovese and Merlot, to enrich an ancient traditional production from the Lazio region with the depth and structure that this blending approach provides.

The Nerobuono grape (at a minimum of 70%) is the wine's most distinctive element — a variety so rare that it is virtually absent from the wider Italian wine market, and that the Lulli family's century-long commitment to the specific indigenous vines of the Cori hills has preserved and expressed. Its cultivation and winemaking represent a genuine act of cultural preservation as much as commercial production.

The production process is one of careful extraction and respect for the variety's natural qualities. Grapes are handpicked only when at their peak of maturation. After a slow maceration process that gives the wine its particular ruby red colour aiming toward black, the grapes are very softly pressed to keep their natural characteristics as intact as possible. The resulting wine is a serious Lazio red of genuine character.

A fine bouquet opens elegant scents to the nose: shadows of black pepper and red peppers lead into a flavour that is intense with a background of red fruits in full collection — cherries, red ribes berries, the specific Roman wild cherry known as visciola, and liquorice — accompanied by an essence of eucalyptus. The tasting ends with echoes of juniper and cinnamon, an aromatic closing that is among the most complex and most specific to its territory in the entire UniqueWines portfolio.

Available through UniqueWines. Since 1905.