Quartomoro Un Anno Dopo Vermentino 2024 Review: A Sardinian White That Benefits from Taking Its Time
Most inexpensive Vermentino is made to be drunk young, while its citrus freshness and Mediterranean fragrance are at their liveliest. Quartomoro’s Un Anno Dopo 2024 challenges that habit. The wine spends an extended period in stainless steel and bottle before release, developing a broader texture and a distinctly herbal character without losing the freshness that makes the grape so appealing.
Produced near Oristano by winemaker Piero Cella, this is a thoughtful, surprisingly substantial Sardinian white. The fruit is restrained, the acidity lively, and the finish carries a pleasant bitter edge. It has more personality than many straightforward Vermentinos, although its aromatic complexity remains relatively modest.
The Basics
- Producer: Quartomoro di Sardegna
- Wine: Òrriu Un Anno Dopo
- Vintage: 2024
- Appellation: Vermentino di Sardegna DOC
- Region: Sardinia, Italy
- Production area: Marrubiu, province of Oristano
- Grape: 100% Vermentino
- Vineyard soils: Sandy-clay soils with abundant rocky material and volcanic components
- Training system: Guyot
- Harvest: Manual
- Fermentation: Stainless steel at 18–20°C
- Ageing: Approximately one year between stainless steel and bottle
- Oak ageing: None
- Alcohol: 13% ABV
- Bottle size: 750 ml
- Serving temperature: 10–12°C
Quartomoro: Piero Cella’s Sardinian Wine Laboratory
Quartomoro is the project of Piero Cella and Luciana Baso, established in the Oristano area with an ambition that goes beyond producing familiar Sardinian varieties.
Cella is an experienced oenologist whose work combines traditional grapes, careful vineyard selection and experimentation with different winemaking techniques. Quartomoro has consequently developed a broad range of wines, including interpretations of Bovale, Vernaccia, Semidano and Cannonau.
The estate is particularly interested in preserving the island’s remarkable viticultural diversity. Sardinia is often reduced to two international calling cards, Cannonau and Vermentino, but its vineyards contain an extraordinary collection of lesser-known varieties and local traditions.
Un Anno Dopo belongs to the Òrriu project, whose name refers to weaving and the idea of connecting different threads. In the winery’s philosophy, those threads represent the relationship between grapes, territory, human experience and Sardinian wine culture.
The concept is ambitious, but this particular bottle expresses it rather simply: take a familiar grape, avoid unnecessary oak and allow time to change its character.
Marrubiu and a Different Side of Vermentino
The vineyards are situated around Marrubiu, in the Oristano area of western Sardinia. This is not the granite-dominated landscape of Gallura, the island’s most celebrated Vermentino territory.
The local soils contain sand, clay and substantial rocky material, with volcanic influences in parts of the area. The climate is Mediterranean, shaped by warm summers and the winds that regularly cross the island.
These conditions allow Vermentino to develop considerable flavour while maintaining the acidity required for a balanced dry white.
Quartomoro’s approach is especially interesting because it moves away from the idea that Vermentino must always be bottled and sold as quickly as possible.
The variety has an attractive aromatic profile, but it also possesses enough structure and phenolic character to develop beyond its initial youthful fragrance.
Un Anno Dopo explores that potential without relying on oak to manufacture additional weight.
How It’s Made
The grapes are harvested by hand and placed in small crates before being gently pressed.
After static settling, the must ferments in stainless-steel tanks at a controlled temperature of approximately 18–20°C, using selected yeasts.
The decisive part of the process comes after fermentation. Rather than releasing the wine after a brief period in steel, Quartomoro allows it to mature for approximately a year between tank and bottle.
There is no oak ageing, so the resulting texture and aromatic development are not shaped by vanilla, toast or barrel tannins.
Time softens the wine’s more immediate fruit character and allows its herbal, balsamic and savoury qualities to become more evident. The additional maturation also gives the palate greater breadth, while the acidity prevents that richness from becoming excessive.
It is a sensible technique for Vermentino, particularly when the objective is to create a white wine with enough substance to accompany a complete meal rather than serve only as an aperitif.
Tasting Notes
Colour: Intense straw yellow with subtle green reflections.
Bouquet: Fresh citrus, white fruit and Mediterranean herbs introduce a fragrant but restrained nose. A faint balsamic note adds depth, while the absence of oak preserves the wine’s clean aromatic profile.
Palate: Medium-bodied, supple and pleasantly savoury, with lively acidity supporting a broader texture than expected. The fruit is balanced by herbal nuances and a gentle phenolic bitterness. It has good substance without becoming heavy, although the aromatic development remains relatively straightforward.
Finish: Dry and persistent, with a subtle citrus bitterness and a refreshing herbal character.
Our Verdict
Quartomoro Un Anno Dopo 2024 is a convincing Vermentino whose principal attraction is the relationship between freshness and texture. Extended maturation has given the wine greater substance without sacrificing its Mediterranean character.
The herbal profile is distinctive, the acidity well judged, and the discreet bitterness adds interest to an otherwise approachable palate. It is a particularly satisfying choice for seafood, where its dry, savoury character is more useful than exaggerated fruitiness.
There are limits. The bouquet is appealing rather than especially complex, and the middle palate lacks the precision and depth of the island’s more ambitious white wines. The extra ageing brings texture, but not extraordinary sophistication.
That is a reasonable compromise at this price. Quartomoro has created a white that feels complete without expensive barrels or elaborate winemaking.
It is also a welcome reminder that Sardinia’s wine culture extends well beyond the familiar contrast between powerful reds and simple seaside whites, a diversity explored in our guide to Italy’s major wine regions.
Price
€13.90.
Food Pairings
Paella, vitello tonnato, chicken curry, empanadas, hamburgers.
