Readers looking for a southern Rhone-like red should check out the 2005 Perdera IGT, a blend of 90% Monica and equal parts Carignano and Bovale Sardo. Aged in French oak for six months prior to bottling, it exhibits dense garrigue, pepper, cassis, and cherry characteristics intermixed with a loamy soil undertone. Corpulent, fleshy, mouthfilling, and savory, it should be drunk over the next 1-2 years. One of my favorite estates from Sardinia, Argiolas, located just north of Cagliari, has long promoted the island’s indigenous varietals, including Nuragus and Vermentino for their whites, and such red grapes as Cannonau, Monica, Carignano, and Bovale Sardo. I strongly urge readers to check out these fabulous wine values as they are every bit as good as these enthusiastic notes suggest. Just one caveat: Drink the whites within a year of release, and the reds within several.A Leonardo LoCascio Selection, Winebow, Montvale, NJ; tel. (201) 445-0620; fax (201) 445-9868.