Sunday, August 14, 2005
2001 Brigaldara Valpolicella Classico
90. One of the best straight Valpo's I've had in years. Unusually dark ruby color. Intense nose that runs the gamut from dark chocolate and prunes to flowers, exotic spice and chokecherries. Medium-full body, with deep, still youthful flavors of earth, cherries, and bitter chocolate. There's a substantial amount of soft tannin remaining, which, together with the still youthful color and vibrant fruit, says that this wine still has a couple of goods years left -- very unusual for a straight Valpo DOC. I wonder if this is made via the ripasso technique? -- it says 13.5% alcohol -- which would explain its intensity and vigor. Whatever the reason, this is plain excellent. If I were to taste this blind, I think I'd place it as a Brunello or Morellino di Scansano rather than a Valpolicella. I think I paid about $12 at Spec's on Smith for this.
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2 comments:
What is your definition of a "straight Valpo"?
Thanks for the comment Roberto. A straight Valpoicella is one simply made by regular fermentation of the allowed grapes. Contrast this with an Amarone, which is made by partially drying selected grape bunches to concentrate flavors, sugars, and acids, and THEN fermenting. The result is a wine that is much denser, riper, and fuller -- they can be HUGE. Over the last 20-30 years, a third style of Valpo has emerged, made through what is called the ripasso method. Producers take selected cuvees of their straight Valpo, and pump it over the lees and skins of the Amarone after they've done the primary fermentation on the Amarone (in other words, they "re-pass" the Valpo over the Amarone skins, hence the name). This sparks a secondary fermentation which facilitates the wine absorbing color and flavor from the left-over Amarone skins, which gives a wine with more ripeness, weight, body, and density than a straight Valpo. It was this style of Valpo (the "ripasso" Valpo's) that I was trying to distinguish.
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