The wines of Antichi Poderi Jerzu help to remind one how – yes, even in the world of wine – stereotypes are so often groundless. Take the grape Cannonau (a varietal related to the French grenache which is both potent and very alcoholic) grown in the Sardinian climate one might assume would make the wines, ponderous, very heavy and not very drinkable. And instead, by maintaining old vines (more than 80 years old) and using a very precise cellar technique (which refuses over-extraction and the easy sweet effects of new oak), Jerzu's Cannonau are fine wines, balanced and not at all flabby. Even in a sweltering year such as 2003, the Riserva Josto Miglior, or il Chuerra, are very original red wines from the point of view of their aromatic qualities and the refinement of their tannins.