2022 Gianluigi Deaddis “One Hundred “ Bovale

Visit & Tasting — Gianluigi Deaddis, One Hundred Bovale 2022

Visit date: September 2024 — Sardinia, Italy

Our visit to the Deaddis winery in September 2024 offered a clear window into the soul of Bovale and the philosophy behind One Hundred. The late-summer light stretched across the vineyards, illuminating rows of thick-skinned, compact Bovale clusters — small berries, firm pulp, and deeply pigmented skins. Gianluigi spoke with calm intensity, his vision anchored in tradition yet executed with modern precision. The project One Hundred, named both for longevity and concentration, is his tribute to the raw character of Bovale: unpolished, deeply Mediterranean, driven by structure and heritage.

About the Grape: Bovale

Bovale is one of Sardinia’s most distinctive red varieties — vigorous, late-ripening, and naturally high in polyphenols. It produces wines of deep color, pronounced tannin, and vibrant acidity, often demanding time to unfold. Aromatically, Bovale leans toward dark berries, plum skin, wild herbs, liquorice, graphite, and with age develops iron, leather, and earth-driven tertiary notes. It thrives in warm, dry climates and sandy to clay-calcareous soils, where it develops power without losing freshness — a trait that Deaddis captures with remarkable clarity.

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Tasting Notes — One Hundred Bovale 2022

In the glass, the 2022 One Hundred is dense ruby with violet reflexes, opaque at the core, youthful and vibrant in extraction.

The nose is immediate yet layered — black cherry, macerated plum, and blackberries emerge first, followed by myrtle, juniper, wild Mediterranean scrub, and touches of liquorice, cocoa husk, and iron filing. With air, subtler tones appear: graphite, cracked pepper, dark spice, hinting at future complexity.

On the palate, the wine is assertive, tightly knit, and muscular. High but polished tannins frame the fruit with precision, while the natural acidity — a hallmark of quality Bovale — drives tension and length. The mid-palate is broad and concentrated, with flavors of black plum, amarena cherry, dried fig, and a saline-mineral undertow. The finish is long, savory, and architectural, leaving impressions of smoke, earth, bitter cocoa, and wild herb.

This is a wine built for evolution — bold now, promising tomorrow. Decanting is recommended in youth to reveal its full aromatic dimension.

Suggested Pairings: slow-cooked lamb, wild boar ragù, pecora in cappotto, aged Fiore Sardo, charred vegetables with rosemary and juniper.

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A Final Reflection

Our September 2024 visit to Gianluigi Deaddis confirmed that One Hundred is not merely a wine, but a declaration of Bovale’s identity — Sardinian in soul, relentless in structure, and destined for longevity. It is a bottle that invites patience, contemplation, and respect.

A powerful, character-driven Bovale — already impressive, with a future still unfolding.