2019 Zyme - Valpolicella Classico Superiore Ripasso (750ml)

Zýmē was founded by Celestino Gaspari, who learned the fundamentals of viticulture in his family's vineyards in the Val d'Illasi before working closely with the revered Valpolicella winemaker Giuseppe Quintarelli, whose daughter he later married. In 1999, Gaspari converted a fifteenth-century sandstone quarry in San Pietro in Cariano into the estate's cellar, naming the winery Zýmē after the Greek word for yeast as a nod to the transformative, living processes at the core of winemaking. The estate farms roughly thirty hectares sustainably in the heart of Valpolicella Classica, with Gaspari known for his meticulous, highly personal interpretation of the region's traditional techniques.

This Valpolicella Classico Superiore is made from Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella, and Oseleta, harvested by hand and vinified using the traditional Ripasso method. Fresh grapes ferment first at natural temperatures in September and October, and the resulting wine then undergoes a second fermentation in January on the skins left over from Zýmē's Amarone production, extracting additional richness and structure over about fifteen days. The wine then ages a minimum of two years in large Slavonian oak barrels, followed by another six months resting in bottle before release.

The finished wine shows ruby red color deepening toward garnet, with an elegant bouquet of ripe cherry, morello cherry, and dried plum. On the palate it is soft and enveloping, full-bodied, with flavors of ripe fruit and warm spice carrying through a long finish. It pairs well with white meats, semi-aged cheeses, and hearty soups.