<<Badde Nigolosu displays a beauty that is wild, violent, and hypnotic>> (cit. d.c.)
<<Badde Nigolosu displays a beauty that is wild, violent, and hypnotic>> (cit. d.c.)
BADDE NIGOLOSU is our cru vineyard, lying at 250 metres’ elevation,
on the highest hills of Sennori.
Soils,three geologic eras shape Badde Nigolosu
What makes Tenute Dettori so unusual is its geologic formation: Badde Nigolosu, in fact, is located at the precise intersection of different geologic eras. The formation of its substrates embraces an arc of time that ranges throughout the Miocene and the Holocene, with both volcanic and sedimentary formations: creamy-white marl and limestone soils, with loam-clay texture, well-drained and with good aggregation; Miocene sandstones and conglomerates; and, finally, reddish, iron-rich soils, offspring of trachytic breakdown.
Vegetation comprises olive groves, vineyards, Mediterranean scrub (carob, wild olive, laurel, myrtle, lentisk, phillyrea, arbutus, buckthorn, Butcher’s broom), cactus fruit (figu morisca in Sardinian), and figs. Then there is Badde Nigolosu wealth of fauna: sheep thar pasture in the vineyards, hawks, falcons, buzzards, foxes, hedgehogs, hares, rabbits, and more.
Weather, sea, light
The Mediterranean reigns here, with mild winters and sun-filled, hot summers.
The sea reflects the sunlight that irradiates the Romangia, moderating its effect and its quality. The sunlight softens the tannins of our wines, bringing them to the pinnacle of elegance and freeing us from the need to use oak barrels. The sea sends us breezes, the cool air that tempers the heat of the day and preserves and balances the acidity of the ripening grapes
The Sea of Sardinia bathes the Romangia, and reduces the impact of climate change.
Alberello on our hillslopes
Today’s vineyards remain the vineyards of the past.
The low-lying, bush-trained “sa sardisca” (Sardinian style) alberello system predominates here, and we constantly re-new these vineyards with scientifically-selected massal selections for historic, ancient vineyards.
The vines of Tenute Dettori are preserved at the heart of an uncontaminated biological oasis of 20 hectares of Mediterranean scrubland. Kilometres of dry-stone wall surround this independent ecosystem.
The estate vineyards contain only ancient native clones of the Romagia terroir, such Retagliadu Nieddu (Cannonau), Monica di Sorso, Pascale, Vermentino, and Moscato di Sennori.
We cultivate vineyards in this millennia-old earth, as well as cereals, vegetables, fruit, and olives. We ourselves perform all the operations both in the field and in the cellar, and mostly by hand. We use no one else’s calendars, no “standard practices.” For us, there are really no set vineyard parcels, only a wealth of individual grapes.
At Badde Nigolosu we work to preserve and strengthen the centuries-old marriage between the People and their Environment, which have mutually shaped each other here in the Romangia.
Our viticultural methods are aimed at maintaining the natural balance of Badde Nigolosu, which is home not only to vines, but to hundreds of other plant and animal species. Together they make up an ecosystem, a living organism.
Our daily life is based on good farming sense, aware that the Earth is the basis of everything. We ensure that it remains humus-rich, loose, well-structured, and well drained, allowing plants to grow in optimal health, and take natural nourishment according to their needs, from the humus in the soil. Without any outside help. These are plants that can take all the light they need from the sun.
Plants, animals and people live and perform the functions that Nature intended for them, and can produce excellent fruits as part of a “harmonious whole”, where the presence of limestone, clay and sandy soils guarantees a link between universal life forces and the forces of development and reproduction.
To make this possible, instead of eroding and limiting life within the ecosystem, we encourage it. We try to make sure plants can thrive and be self-sufficient, and cope with any adversity. The proliferation of natural species is encouraged between the rows and around the vineyards, and the indigenous fauna and flora are also attracted by the use of natural cover-cropping and soil aeration through rehabilitation. This involves de-compacting soil which has become dense due to the passage of tractors or as a result of too much rain, or of low rainfall followed by excessive summer heat.
At Badde Nigolosu we see continuous rebirth; every day is a new beginning and opportunity to learn.
The Cellar
The cellar is simple, traditional, Sardinian. Designed and created solely for the wine and those who tend it. Its construction and management continue the natural work carried out in the vineyard. Built totally underground after years of observation and analysis, the area excavated to house it was left open for three winters to measure its resistance and water infiltration. This allowed us to establish which area to use for vinification, and which for bottle ageing. The Cellar enjoys natural insulation provided by the two-metre thick breathing walls.
The grapes, the must and the wine move through the system by gravity. The fermentation and ageing tanks are made of concrete. Electricity is used only for the destemming and bottling processes. Although underground, natural light is available until sunset. Our canes, stalks and pomace return to the Earth improved.
Badde Nigolosu’s strength is backed up by the energy of the people who live and work on this blessed land. They are well aware of the sacred nature of this place, where dozens of generations of master winegrowers have worked. Wine has been made here for 3500 years, and began to achieve exceptional quality in around the year 1000, with the Camaldolese and Cistercian monks.
Today, all the processes are planned and carried out by the winegrowers Paolo and Alessandro, assisted by the women and men of Badde Nigolosu.
It is not at all easy to find one’s way among the many plots, each with a strong – sometimes too strong – identity. They display different phenological phases and grape ripening patterns, despite being mere metres apart. Because it’s not a question of vineyard plots, but of different living organisms, hemmed in by kilometres of dry-stone walls.
Making wine at Badde Nigolosu means continuous rebirth; every day is a new beginning and opportunity to learn. There can be no pre-established approach when you are dealing with infinite variables, some of which cannot be measured. They can only be perceived by those with sensitivity, intuition, and talent. They are not enough, however; they also need modesty, and above all the capacity for “calm resignation”.
Natural Vignerons in Sardinia.
