Sometimes a wine just calls out to be drunk - which was the case with this wine. I was replacing a bulb in my wine cellar this morning. I put the bulb in and immediately there was light - amazing thing this electricity stuff. I threw the packaging away (and placed some of the components in the recycle bin) and turned to survey what it now looked like all lit up. Out of the corner of my eye I caught a flash of a red capsule and thought, "okay tonight it's you". I pulled the wine off the rack and placed it on the coveted drinking table for this evening; and now here we are. I have to admit that I was a little nervous about a Valpolicella of 6 years old, but you only live once. As it turns out, after I sipped and savoured this wine, I read the back label, and learned that it was not a straight Valpol, it was in fact a "ripasso" (second fermented on Amarone skins) - that explains the longevity and the and nice fruit still in this bottle. To say it had fruit is a bit of a misnomer, the wine smelled and tasted old, but far from too old. The nose had cranberry, sour cherry, forest floor and spiced-dried-plum ... the palate had dried fruit and leaves with a bit of spiciness left, but with a smooth glide through the mouth, and still with a hint of acidity to wash it away clean. Quite lovely ... now what to have with it is the question.
No comments:
Post a Comment