www.tenutedettori.it
Sardegna’s north-west corner is home to both the ancient territory of Romangia and Alessandro Dettori, Sardegna’s own, soft-spoken Keeper of the Cannonau. Slight, perceptive, and imbued with impish wit it is clear from the outset that Alessandro Dettori breaks the mould of the peasant farmer. Alessandro is a paradox: he is both philosopher and winemaker, a man whose cultured exterior appears to be at odds with his staunch defence of Sardinian tradition.
Alessandro farms thirty hectares of extremely old Grenache and Vermentino adroitly employing just enough modern technology to maximize the expression of Sardinia’s ancient viticulture. The scorching sun and distressing yields (less than 300 grams per plant) ensure an exceptional degree of ripeness before the grapes, picked by hand in October, are transported by refrigerated truck to a small winery where they ferment exclusively in cement.
The Dettori Bianco 2006 is sourced from a parcel of vines planted in 1958. It spends four days on the skins with the stalks without temperature control, added yeasts, SO2, fining, filtration, or oak. Cloudy and medium gold, its masculine style, fine flavours and stunning length mark this as one of the finest white wines on this list. The Moscato is made in a similar style but the long-suffering yeast admit defeat long before all the sugar is transformed to alcohol. It’s not a proper dessert wine but, like Bellbird Spring, occupies a useful middle ground.
We have shipped three versions of Cannonau. The Tenores has the jammy, succulent berry fruit of Châteauneuf. The Tuderi is sourced from a neighbouring vineyard and is in every way a sibling to the Vermentino with identical vinification (the Tuderi spends eight days on the skins). Everyone must try Alessandro’s 2005 Dettori at least once. Sourced from a tiny parcel of unirrigated, Cannonau planted in 1887, it spends 12-15 days on the skins before fermentation and maturation in cement. Dettori does not see a stick of wood; wood could scarcely begin to tame the monstrous 17.5% ABV that it carries with such ease.
This year I couldn’t resist adding the Chimbanta to our list. Monica isn’t high in anyone’s list of ‘must-try’ varietals but Alessandro has created a remarkable, mulberry-scented account that is a delight to drink. As always, neither grape nor terroir is in itself a guarantee of either greatness or mediocrity.