Tasting Notes: Farmed completely organically and produced using 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. The vines are 25, 55, and 120 years of age throughout different pieces of the vineyard. The fruit is hand-harvested, fermented with 24 hours of skin contact in stainless steel. Aged in steel for 11 months on fine lees, unfined, unfiltered. This is a white wine fuller in body with pronounced herbal tones, apple peel, and hints of toasted nuts.
Estate History: Marco and Michele Schirru, brothers from the small village of Orroli in the central Sardinian subregion of Sarcidano, were raised in an area not widely known—unless you’re a fan of ancient history. In that case, you might be familiar with the incredible architectural ruins in Sardegna's interior, remnants of the Nuragic civilization, a thriving culture that predates Roman colonization by 2,000 years and existed long before what we now recognize as Italy. Viticulture has been a significant part of life in Sardegna's interior for centuries, though in the past hundred years, it was primarily for local or community use. In the 1980s, the Schirru brothers' village boasted about 900 hectares of vineyards. However, due to decades of rural depopulation as people sought work in larger towns or on the mainland, that number has dwindled to just a tenth of its former size.
Despite this decline, Marco and Michele have inherited around 4.5 hectares of old vines, some over 100 years old, carefully preserved by their grandparents and parents, who produced wine for local consumption throughout the brothers’ childhood
The wines offered by Schirru are crafted simply yet authentically. They come primarily from old bush-trained vines, with a few younger plantings, featuring endemic varieties like Bovale, Nuragus, Vermentino, and Monica. Harvests are done by hand, with micro-lots carefully selected in the vineyard to maintain specific and nuanced ferments. The vinification process is straightforward: a gentle maceration for the whites, traditional methods for the reds, with whites aged in stainless steel and reds in a combination of neutral barrels and steel. There is no fining or filtering, and small amounts of SO2 are added only if necessary, typically during racking or bottling.
