Terre Rare Carignano del Sulcis Riserva – Succulent Sardinia

Tastes as good as it smells, which is pretty darn good.

100% Carignano from Sardinia, Italy. The wine spends 1 year in American oak barriques.

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The Terre Rare Carignano del Sulcis Riserva has an SRP of $25. Imported by Palm Bay International. Sample submitted for review.

From the bottle:

Sella & Mosca “Terre Rare” [TEH-reh RAH-reh]: “Rare Earth” is produced from the Carignano grape, an ancient varietal that thrives in the mineral-rich soil and Mediterranean climate of Sardinia’s southwest coast. Aged 12 months in American oak barriques, this concentrated red seamlessly blends rich flavors of dark cherry and spice with smooth, supple tannins. Terre Rare is a perfect accompaniment to red meat, game and cheeses.

14% Alcohol

The island of Sardinia is a rather unique wine region in Italy. While it doesn’t have nearly the wine tradition of much of the rest of the country, it is growing. Perhaps most interesting is that you would never guess the wines found here were Italian if you just looked at the varieties. There’s almost no sangiovese here, for example, and instead you find varieties like grenache, carignan and good old cabernet sauvignon as well as some indigenous varieties we hope to explore in the future.

The 2010 Sella & Mosca Terre Rare Carignano del Sulcis Riserva begins with a very pleasant aroma filled with plums, raisins, prunes, dried herbs, cedar, spice and even a bit of a balsamic note. Most of those same flavors make an appearance when tasting this very flavorful, dry wine. It does have a bit of a medicinal note to it but with juicy fruit, lots of mineral streaks and good acidity this is a wine with a heck of a lot of flavor and character for just $15. Long lasting mineral notes and lots of sweet dried fruit end this one out.

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