Anima Negra, the black soul of Mallorca – Two Island wines next to each other

A few weeks ago we had these 2 “island wines” with our dinner. One from Mallorca, the other from Sardinia. First the  ÀN/2 : the thought that instantly crossed my mind when I took a sip was that this represents the kind of Spanish wine that interests me most nowadays. Indeed, I somehow got bored of the traditional Rioja and Ribera stuff, which are made in such standardized ways that it gets hard to see the difference between one and another. At least that is how it seems to me and I definitely need a break of those for a few months at least. Nevertheless, I still keep some in my cellar, because I know the right moment for those will come again. And thank God they can age!
But back to the AN/2. It is  mainly made of the principal autochton varietials of the island: Callet, Mantonegre and Fogoneu. Plus a remaining 15% of Syrah, rather a so called “international” varietial in this case. It is a wine of deep, nearly black color. A wine with enough boldness to be called “of serious weight” and with enough depth and complexity to catch your full attention. With notes of olives and herbs mixed to the fruit one truly has the impression the wine catches the soul of the island. No barrel overkill, just the essence of fruit and power that the island is willing to share. I am a big fan of the estate’s first wine, “Anima Negra” which is compelling of depth and complexity, but this one is a serious enough “pleasure wine” and represents a great value for around 15 Euro.

And now to the Cannonau from Sardinia, a 2008 Riserva by Sella & Mosca. Well, I’m affraid in this case it was an awfully weak opponent for the AN/2, which wasn’t something I anticipated really. Indeed, I still had fresh memories of convincing specimens we indulged during a  recent weekend trip to the island. But this one was definitely rather medium bodied and just felt thin and unsubstantial next to the Mallorcan. Also, one has to know that this Cannonau belongs to a slightly cheaper price range (about 10 Euro). Well, I guess I have to repeat this exercise with the two top wines of the islands.

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Categories: Italy,Spain

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