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Cannonau

I picked up a US$12 bottle of Cannonau di Sardegna Reserva 1999 (by Sella & Mosca) on a whim, having never heard of it before. I didn't really know what to expect; the label said "open one hour before serving", so I was expecting something tight and lean. Brick-red and fairly light in the glass, nice full nose of cherry and pepper. Tastes a lot like a CdR - lots of pepper and more cherry fruit, ripe and concentrated. If served blind I would have guessed grenache. A very pleasant surprise. Went well with the garlic and smoked paprika marinated pork loin I served it with. It's little surprises like this that make wine such a great pastime.

Reply to
Dean Macinskas
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Congratulations, it IS grenache, that's the sardinian name for it. And yes, the S&M version (no puns please) does taste like a CdR. It's a bit too clean and high tech for me, but nevertheless a good wine from a large producer that is part of the Campari group.

Mike

Reply to
Mike Tommasi

[snip]

Mike,

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said: "The origins and provenance of the Cannonau variety are still not known with absolute certainty but it is generally agreed that it appeared on Sardinia, having been brought from Spain, in the 14th century at the beginning of the period of Spanish domination of the island. Numerous experts argue that Cannonau corresponds from an ampelographical standpoint with the Canonazo of Seville and the Granaxa of Aragon."

May I assume that "Granaxa" is the Spanish for grenache?

Regards, Dean

Reply to
Dean Macinskas

[snip]

Mike,

Thanks for the reply.

Regards, Dean

Reply to
Dean Macinskas

Now that you mention it, the alcohol was 13.5%, although I didn't realize that there was a statutory minimum - I just chalked it up to grapes that had fully ripened in a hot climate. I'd assume (naively, perhaps) that the weather on Sardinia - being a relatively small island surrounded by lots of water - doesn't change dramatically from year to year, and vintages would be fairly consistent.

Anyway, a pleasant discovery, and something else to look for when I shop!

Regards, Dean

Reply to
Dean Macinskas

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