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A few weeks back, one of my favorite local wine haunts sent me an email saying they had gotten in a Cannonau di Sardegna, special-order. I’d heard of this stuff before - Cannonau is an indigenous grape on the island of Sardegna, one of the thousands (literally) of indigenous Italian grapes. Except - it turns out that Cannonau is “actually” Grenache - or more like Garnacha, the vines having originally come from Spain (or vice versa, depending on who you ask). I’ve been meaning to try Cannonau for a while, but it’s one of those things that just doesn’t come around very much. Anyway, I snagged a bottle (somewhere around $20) and socked it away for some future time.

So I was very surprised when, in wandering around the Italian Store down in Arlington two days ago, I found a box of Sella & Mosca Cannonau Riserva 2004, just laying half-open on the floor. I actually did a double-take - no, it really was another Cannonau, different maker. Only, this one was marked down from their “regular price” of $20 to just $12, for no apparent reason. Maybe it wasn’t selling - their loss, my gain. I brought the bottle home, and served it with a whole chicken I roasted this evening on my Weber rotisserie extension and a squash stir-fry. It was amazing. Spicy, dark cherry, finishing with a little bitterness like cocoa. On first pour it’s a little tight, but the tannins sweeten after about 10 minutes in the glass, so I would recommend either decanting or at least letting it breathe for a while. I’m a sucker for southern Rhone wines, and this has great Grenache fruit, spice, and more. What a bargain!

What I paid: $12
What I would pay next time: $20

Whatever’s left, it’s mine - find your own!