Sella & Mosca Marchese di Villamarina Alghero 2014
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Suckling
James -
Parker
Robert
Product Details
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Rich, majestic red in color. On the nose, intense and mellow with remarkable red fruit fragrances. The palate demonstrates classic flavors of Cabernet with accents of vanilla, black currant, soft grained tannins with a lingering finish. A match for top quality steaks, red meats, and game.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A tight and lightly chewy red with blueberry, slate and fresh-herb aromas and flavors. Medium body. Subtle, fruity finish.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
A pure expression of Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2014 Alghero Cabernet Riserva Marchese di Villamarina draws on fruit from one of the largest estates in Italy, planted on a flat expanse of land in the island's northwestern Nurra region. This wine historically represents one of Sardinia's premier Cabernet Sauvignons, but the fruit here feels a little under the weather in this humid vintage: The wine starts up with intensity, but ultimately does not go the distance. It shows dark fruit aromas with cassis and myrtle, followed by tobacco, smoke and licorice. This expression ages in equal parts new and neutral oak, and the results are somewhere between mid- and full-bodied, with a finish that is moderate in length. Some 40,000 bottles were made. This is a good near- to medium-term drinking option with a grilled marinated steak.
Other Vintages
2013-
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine -
Suckling
James
A jewel in the Mediterranean, Sardinia is a rustic and enchantingly beautiful island with extreme geography and vinous diversity to tempt travelers and wine enthusiasts alike. Mr. Sella and Mr. Mosca fell in love with this land over a century ago and established Sella & Mosca, one of Italy's most renowned wine estates.
As Sardinia's foremost wine producer, Sella & Mosca’s premium wines are made exclusively from estate-grown grapes. In addition to native varieties such as Vermentino, Torbato and Cannonau, the winery has successfully pioneered the introduction of international grape varieties, notably Cabernet Sauvignon.
A noble variety bestowed with both power and concentration, Cabernet Sauvignon enjoys success all over the globe, its best examples showing potential to age beautifully for decades. Cabernet Sauvignon flourishes in Bordeaux's Medoc where it is often blended with Merlot and smaller amounts of some combination of Cabernet Franc, Malbecand Petit Verdot. In the Napa Valley, ‘Cab’ is responsible for some of the world’s most prestigious, age-worthy and sought-after “cult” wines. Somm Secret—DNA profiling in 1997 revealed that Cabernet Sauvignon was born from a spontaneous crossing of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc in 17th century southwest France.
Hailed for centuries as a Mediterranean vine-growing paradise, multiple cultures over many centuries have ruled the large island of Sardinia. Set in the middle of the Tyrrhenian Sea, the Phonoecians, Ancient Rome, and subsequently the Byzantines, Arabs and Catalans have all staked a claim on the island at some point in history. Along the way, these inhabitants transported many of their homeland’s prized vines and today Sardinia’s modern-day indigenous grape varieties claim multiple origins. Sardinia’s most important red grapes—namely Cannonau (a synonym for Grenache) and Carignan—are actually of Spanish origin.
Vermentino, a prolific Mediterranean variety, is the island’s star white. Vermentino has a stronghold the Languedoc region of France as well as Italy’s western and coastal regions, namely Liguria (where it is called Pigato), Piedmont (where it is called Favorita) and in Tuscany, where it goes by the name, Vermentino. The best Vermentino, in arguably all of the Mediterranean, grows in Sardinia's northeastern region of Gallura where its vines struggle to dig roots deep down into north-facing slopes of granitic soils. These Vermentino vines produce highly aromatic, full and concentrated whites of unparalleled balance.
Today aside from its dedication to viticulture, Sardinia remains committed to maintaining its natural farmlands, bucolic plains of grazing sheep and perhaps most of all, its sandy, sunny, Mediterranean beaches.