Chessa
about chessa:
Giovanna Chessa’s small, family-owned estate is in the north-west corner of the island of Sardinia, near the city of Sassari; the soil here is limestone-rich, in contrast to the soil of the Gallura (in north-eastern Sardinia) which is granitic, so the Vermentino grown here is distinctly different. The area is also known for the red variety Cagnulari, which may be indigenous to Sardinia. Giovanna’s winemaking style is elegant, transparent, and expressive, and the wines are clean but full of character, made entirely of indigenous varieties.
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the wines:
‘mattariga’ Vermentino di Sardegna doc
I love Vermentino, and I’ve been importing Vermentino from the north-east corner of the island of Sardinia, the area known as the Gallura, for ages. But I just tasted a Vermentino from another part of Sardinia, near Sassari, that I like just as much. The soil is very different, limestone-rich rather than granitic, and the range of flavor is different, but both are delicious.
Pale yellow in color, this 100% Vermentino shows aromas and flavors of lemon-peel, flowers, and ‘macchia,’ the smell of the wild herbs that surround the limestone-rich vineyards. Fresh acidity makes this a very versatile food wine (a natural choice with seafood), and I love it as a dry aperitif too.
Cagnulari Isola dei Nuraghi IGT
The grape variety Cagnulari is either indigenous to Sardinia, or genetically identical to the Spanish variety Graciano, depending on who you believe. (The Sardinian red wines we’ve seen here in the US have mostly been limited to Cannonau, it’s good to see something different.) Ian d’Agata thinks the variety might be a biotype of the Sardinian variety Bovale Sardo, which is indigenous. In any case, it’s very dark in color, both flavorful and fresh, combining the wild herb aroma (called ‘garrigue’ in France, or ‘macchia’ in Italian) that is so common in Mediterranean wines with strong black and red fruit aromas and flavors. Fresh acidity and fine tannins make it very versatile with food; despite being from so far south, this is not at all jammy or ‘cooked’; yet another example of an elegant wine from the very south of Italy.
‘C’Era Una Volta’ Vermentino di Sardegna doc
The Chessa family has been growing grapes on their estate for over 70 years however they didn’t make and bottle wine under their own label until 2005. The C’Era Una Volta (translation: Once Upon a Time) is a tribute by current proprietor and winemaker, Giovanna Chessa, to her grandparents, the first to cultivate the land here. According to her, she is following their teachings of hard work, patience and respect for nature. In a departure from the ‘Mattariga’ bottling, the C’Era Una Volta is fermented on its skins, left on its lees for a significant amount of time and aged 3 years before bottling. They also choose to harvest 2-3 weeks longer than the other Vermentino so that the grapes start to ever so slightly dry on the vine.
The result is akin to a passito, vinified dry, so it contains all of the power and concentration of a wine that might in other circumstances be associated with dessert. The maceration adds necessary structure to support the full bodied palate of ripe orchard fruits, chamomile, almond and dense, mineral finish. Absolutely killer with a cheese plate.