In 1899 engineer Erminio Sella and lawyer Edgardo Mosca departed from Piedmont towards the land of Sardinia in order to reclaim a vast territory in the locality i Piani, near Alghero, in the province of Sassari, and transform it from pasture to vineyard. Since then those lands have made the history of Sardinian viticulture and, although the property has passed to the Campari Group (in 2002) and, later, to the Moretti family (since 2016), the search for quality has never failed.
Despite the large extension, the winery is increasingly engaged in sustainable and organic viticulture, with the aim of maintaining healthy the biodiversity of the vineyards and, consequently, also the health of the vines themselves. The same vineyards, for example, are interspersed with avenues of oleander, palm trees, maritime pines, eucalyptus and other species of the Mediterranean scrub, covered with grass of various essences also used in the natural fight against the vine parasites. To assess the health of the vineyards, an oasis of five hectares has been created, a work that safeguards all species of local flora and fauna and whose health serves as a litmus test of the general health. Even in the cellar is sought the maximum possible energy savings together with also the water resources ones which represent, historically, a valuable asset, as scarce on the island.
As for the wines produced, the new line born from the collaboration between the winery and the Sardinian designer Antonio Marras, artistic director of Kenzo since 2003, deserves attention. Antonio, who had been asked to design the labels of four new wines, produced with the most representative varieties, went further, creating a real history linked to each of the four bottles. The Mustazzo, for example, is a Cannonau from sapling vines, over one hundred years old, growing in the heart of Sardinia, in Mamoiada, at more than 600 meters above sea level, whose label portrays a moustached figure (the “mustazzus” in Sardinia are the moustaches) inspired by the phenomenon of Sardinian banditry. The “recipe” of this wine is pretty simple: the low yields obtained (about one kilogram per plant) are destemmed and, subsequently, pressed very gently, before being accompanied in maceration with frequent delestage. The obtained wine ages in a mix of wood and cement, also carrying out malolactic fermentation, before bottling and marketing.
The 2016 vintage shows a ruby color of exceptional concentration, and an olfactory range that opens on notes of wild blackberry, black cherry jam, carob and myrtle, followed by helichrysum, black pepper and clove, with final echoes of Mediterranean scrub and fungal undergrowth. The palate develops itself on decidedly soft and warm themes, even if it does not lack that much of freshness, more balsamic than citrus, necessary to keep the feet the sip; all enriched by an elegant and smooth tannin, and the return of red fruit and Mediterranean scrub that persist even after a very long closure.
Rating: 89/100
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