VINEYARD | Located in the heart of the small Denomination overlooking the Sardinian Sea, an area of gentle hills that slowly reach the shores. Rows of Malvasia, dry stone walls, lots of Mediterranean maquis, olive and fig trees that together give off a memorable scent. Malvasia di Bosa di Columbu is born from two historic vineyards. One is the Fraus vineyard, from the name of the locality in the territory of Magomadas, less than 2 hectares, 100 meters above sea level and facing both north and south. The other is located in Campeda, just over a hectare and a half, in the municipality of Bosa. The soils are volcanic, rich in minerals and poor in nitrogen. The microclimate is also important: the wind blows continuously here, Mistral, but also Libeccio and Tramontana. This brings a dry climate, ideal for the wholesomeness of the grapes.
PERSON | "Chustu inu cheret chistionadu." Some wine lovers will remember this phrase pronounced at the beginning of the famous Mondovino docu-film about Malvasia di Bosa. This wine needs words, it needs to speak. A tentative translation from Sardinian (in this case the literal one simply does not convey the idea) to speak, instead, of Giovanni Battista Columbu, the person who pronounced that very phrase from the bottom of his heart. Founder of this small company, a charismatic man who immediately believed in this product and always tried to preserve its identity: he is responsible for the prestige of this wine-growing area. Columbu, who passed away in 2012, put on the market the first bottle of Malvasia di Bosa Riserva in 1992 and later, in 2003, he added another product, obtained with the same variety. The Alvarega was and is the young, simpler, vintage version. Now the company is led by Gianmichele Columbu - son of Giovanni Battista - and with his wife Vanna they carry on this small production made of love and authenticity.
WINE | Columbu's Malvasia di Bosa Riserva is simply a unique, fascinating wine of great character. It is obtained thanks to the fermentation with indigenous yeasts in steel containers and then it is aged in full barrels for two years, so that the flor is created giving thus rise to the extraordinary oxidative complexity. The nose immediately brings us back to the vineyard, during hot, sultry late summer evenings. Helichrysum and maquis alternate with sensations of dried apricot, nuts and even touches of iodized shrubs, juniper and resin. But it is the mouth that really surprises: it is dry, but manages to be enveloping and warm, deep and savoury, almost salty, with a clean and spicy finish, very long. This is a wine that stays with you, and you never want to stop tasting it and talking about it. Just as the great Giovanni Battista said.
