Hi again! It’s Matt the wine manager at ‘The Wine Cellars’ located at Big Yellow Self Storage’s Fulham branch with an update to the wine blog from our recent Amorone & Valpolicella Master Class with wines from Tommasi.
Tommasi is a family run company established in 1902 by Giacomo Tommasi who have steadily built up their estate and now own 135 hectares of vineyard in Verona as well as an estate in southern Tuscany. They have some of Valpolicella’s finest vineyards and were the first producer’s to use the Guyot cane pruning system to promote better grape ripening. They eschew the use of small barriques for traditional larger Slavonian oak vats to let the wine speak for itself.
Rafael Valpolicella Classico Superiore, 2009 (£11.99)
This wine hails from the Classico (best) part of Valpolicella and has firm ripe black cherry, plum & liquorice on the nose with redcurrant and cherry dominating the palate. The well-balanced acidity keeps the palate lifted and fresh, the perfect partner for pizza or pasta dishes.
Arele Apassimento Rosso Veronese IGT, 2009 (£12.00)
A complex nose of dark chocolate and black cherry morphing into grilled lamb & Provencal herb with time in the glass. The palate has fresh acidity and baked red & black fruits that linger in the mouth, good stuff that will benefit from a few years bottle ageing.
Ripasso Valpolicella Classico Superiore, 2009 (£14.50)
Tommasi’s Ripasso has a restrained power with dense, concentrated black fruits and delicate pot pourri on the nose. The palate is well-balanced expressing succulent blackcurrant & bitter cherry fruit with a long, spiced finish.
Crearo della Conca d’Oro I.G.T, 2008 (£14.50)
Inky blackcurrant rather than cherry fruits dominates the nose with a pleasing smoky medicinal edge. On the palate the fruit is expressive and again leans more towards blackcurrant and plum than red fruits, although it does sacrifice some of the fresh acidity Valpolicella is known for but makes up for it on the length.
Amorone della Valpolicella Classico (£24+)
Now for the big guns! It is always interesting to taste the same wines from different vintages the two we tried on the night were the 2003 & 2007 both relatively good with the ‘07 coming out as the slightly better.
2007
Fragrant, rich red cherry dominates the nose moving towards more concentrated cherry brandy notes with some time in the glass, elegant and majestic. The palate is filled with concentrated black cherry and plum fruit that calls to mind the feel of a vintage port devoid of the added aguardente spirit, powerful but with enough acidity to stop it from becoming cloying.
2003
The nose on the ‘03 was really starting to show what difference a few more years in bottle, and a lesser vintage gives. On the palate fruit was more subdued but the wine had better overall integration with dried fruit characteristics dominating especially on the length, a wine that demands some thought (and a decent slice of cheese!).
Look out for these wines next time you’re buying a bottle! Need more space to store your wine? We now offer purpose-built, climate-controlled cellars – with all the flexibility you’d expect. Drop in to the Big Yellow Self Storage Wine Cellars in Fulham next time you’re in the area.
Speak soon,
Matt
Matthew Wicksteed
Wine Manager
T: 020 7736 5020
The Wine Cellars
71 Townmead Road
Fulham
London
SW6 2ST
