Mastroberardino
2002 Pompeiano Rosso
Villa dei Misteri
(Imported by Wilson-Daniels, St. Helena, CA; about $225)
What to get your friend with the 1,000-case cellar? Or the gal who drinks only the most obscure wines? A wine that no one else has – or nearly no one, at any rate – and that has a story that’s incomparable to any other bottle in their cellar.
How about a wine from the ancient city of Pompeii, which was destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in A.D. 79?
Villa dei Misteri isn’t actually that old, but its pedigree is: Working with an archaeological crew, the Mastroberardino winery replanted the excavated vineyards of Pompeii with ancient red-wine varieties Piedirosso and Sciascinoso, exactly as they had been before the volcano blew, down to the chestnut stakes used to hold up the vines.
The first vintage – just 1,721 bottles – was produced in 2001 and sold only at auction in Italy. A few cases of the 2002 vintage, however, arrived in the U.S. in September for retail sale. The price is high, but Villa dei Misteri isn’t just wine: It’s a piece of history.
-Tara Q. Thomas
