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46 { THE SOMM JOURNAL } DECEMBER/JANUARY 2018/2019 Excited by their discovery, the two men promptly acquired a 1,600-acre property known as I Piani. There, just 4 miles from the sea in northwest Sardinia, Sella and Mosca founded one of the largest and most success - ful grape-vine nurseries in Europe: Cultivating 1,600 varieties, they promptly established themselves as a leading source of new plant material in the post-phylloxera era. To promote biodiversity and natural protections for the vines, they planted alternating rows of oleanders, palms, maritime pines, eucalyptus, and other Mediterranean plants throughout the vineyard in addition to creating a 12-acre nature preserve adjacent to the nursery. To maximize the advantages offered by I Piani's patchwork of sandy clay, limestone, and terra rosa soils, the vineyard was divided into quadrants, with white varieties planted closer to the sea in white soil and red varieties planted further inland in red soil. In this terroir, the grapes flourished, and in 1903 Erminio and Edgardo felt compelled to build a winery and begin producing wines exclusively from their estate-grown fruit. More than a century later, Sella & Mosca reigns as the largest winery in Sardinia. The heart of the estate lies in the Alghero DOC, which was established in 1995; there, the sprawling 1,200-acre I Piani plot holds the distinction of being the second-largest contigu - ous vineyard area in Italy. Winemaker Giovanni Pinna oversees the cultivation of the indig- enous Torbato, Vermentino, and Cannonau varieties, as well as international grapes such as Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Another 37 acres in the northeastern Vermen - tino di Gallura DOCG—the only DOCG on Sardinia—and 17 acres in the southern Sulcis DOC, meanwhile, provide Sella & Mosca with premium, estate-owned Vermentino and dry- farmed Carignano fruit, respectively. Back from the Brink Those surprised to learn of Cabernet Sauvignon from Sardinia are hardly alone, but according to Sella & Mosca North America Export Director Alfon- so Gagliano, the variety has in fact been "thriving in Alghero for 110 years." Earning consistently high ratings as well as awards from Mundus Vini and Decanter, the single-vineyard Sella & Mosca Marchese di Villamarina Alghero DOC Cabernet Sauvignon is a majestic, food-friendly wine of elegance and finesse. It also holds the distinction of being the only DOC-classified Cabernet Sauvignon produced in Sardinia. It's the white Torbato, however, that shines as Sella & Mosca's most intrigu - ing—and locally popular—wine. An ancient grape variety introduced to Sardinia in the 14th century by the Catalans, Torbato (Turbat in Spain; Malvoi- sie du Roussillon in France) earns its name from the cloudy, or turbid, must it produces, rendering it very difficult to vinify and clarify. Thin-skinned and susceptible to powdery mildew, fanleaf virus, and late ripening, Torbato nearly disappeared as growers ripped it out in favor of more reliable varieties. Yet founders Erminio and Edgardo believed in Torbato and persevered, rescuing it from near-oblivion so that it could be enjoyed by future generations. Sella & Mosca is currently the only producer in the world to produce 100 percent Torbato varietal wines—under four separate labels, no less. The flag - ship Terre Bianche Torbato Alghero DOC, named for the ancient marine sedi- The Sella & Mosca winery is the largest facility of its kind in Sardinia. The cellars of Sella & Mosca.