From Garagiste:


2006 Dettori Chimbanta - $29.58 (WA/NR)
(compare at $40-70+ in the US)
What is Monica? An indigenous red grape to Sardinia (with a possible Iberian link), those of you familiar with Argiolas’ entry-level Perdera have already sampled Monica but, in Dettori’s hands, all bets are off. While the 2002 Chimbanta may be a benchmark for Monica, 2006 was a far better vintage and Dettori believes the wine is underpriced at $50-60?. Intense, brooding and masculine in a hyper-natural way, the Chimbanta has a deep red presence with layers of white and red fruit mixed with whiffs of cardamom, flowers and stone - more so than the Cannonau-based wines which are more esoteric, citric and floaty. With the Chimbanta, you taste the grape skins and aggressive nature of this rustic island terroir but the wine never sacrifices its sense of harmony or (somehow) it’s sense of finesse. If you look up TN’s for the 2002 Chimbanta, the 2006 has even more of everything. VERY RARE.

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