2000 Sella & Mosca Alghero Marchese di Villamarina

Garagiste

• By Jon Rimmerman
  8/21/2007, (See more on Garagiste...)

  (Sella & Mosca MARCHESE di VILLAMARINA) Garagiste Villamarina Dear Friends, This is such an interesting wine I hope all of you will give it the attention it deserves. If you crave aged Left Bank Bordeaux but want to spend slightly less for a cerebral experience, this gets one of the higher recommendations I can muster... Sella & Mosca is an enigma. On one hand they are the Mondavi of Sardinia, producing buckets of good to high quality wine for fair prices. On the other, they are a detailed and fastidious boutique operation that hand-coddles their very best wine. The estate sits on the largest contiguous vineyard in Europe, on an arid and unspoiled land that time forget off the northern coast of the island of Sardinia, not far form Corsica. This is a region that seems almost Jurassic by comparison to the rest of Europe and (like Easter Island) fleeting thoughts of a human subspecies creep through one’s mind as the interaction with the rest of mankind seems almost impossible with this much beauty land-locked within the confines of the sea. Sardinia is not very easy to get to although recent flights to the island have made it far more accessible than it once was. While most of the activity goes on to the south around the capital city of Cagliari or to the east around the Costa Smeralda (one of the mort exclusive hang-outs of the European yachting sect - I once had an espresso at a cafe in the “Emerald Coast” for 35 euros and that was the last time I visited), the Northwest corner of Sardinia has been almost unknown to most of Europe but Ryan air has opened this area with nonstop flights to Alghero from London and I highly recommend a visit. The Marchese di Villamarina is Sella & Mosca’s top wine, it is akin to a super-Mondavi Reserve Circa 1974 or something of that nature. This vineyard was originally planted 50-70 years ago at a time when Cabernet was not in favor outside of Bordeaux. The unique aspect of this wine is the confined pollination that has come from this region only, with no outside influence from bees or fauna that have migrated to its site. While this seems like a non-issue it is actually a fairly big deal from an ecological standpoint. As one of Europe’s oldest stand-alone vineyards, it produces a strain of Cabernet Sauvignon that is truly unique to itself. With a resounding debut in 1994 besting the likes of Sassicaia and every other top wine in Italy (at the Wine challenge in London), this wine has had a protective and militant following ever since with its supporters holding it up as one of the world’s single greatest examples of Cabernet and detractors railing it for a weedy and eccentric personality. Rarely exhibiting reactions in the middle, this is a wine for those seeking the most esoteric of experiences and not for those seeking the flash and cream of a new world wine. The 2000 Marchese di Villamarina is a rare and meditative experience. Almost surreal in its whirlwind of aromatic complexity, it is fascinating with an ever so slight raisin, tobacco and complicated mineral tone. It is sun and soil co-mingling in an aged Cabernet of great intellectual respect and interest. Barolo enthusiasts (G. Conterno, not Altare) would find themselves quite at home with their nose in this glass. If you are tired of high Bordeaux prices or high wine prices in general, this is a very fair tarrif for something this real and imaginative. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for that special, esoteric magic that most of us seek in our love affair with wine. ONE SHIPMENT ONLY at this price directly from the winery cellar with perfect provenance: We should have the lowest price in the world on this item (or close to it): 2000 Sella & Mosca “Marchese di Villamarina” (Cabernet Sauvignon) Thank you, Jon Rimmerman Garagiste Seattle, WA Italy7620