Amarone della Valpolicella Classico La Mattonara Riserva 2004

I met Celestino Gaspari last month, at the annual Luca Maroni event held in Rome. I had heard about his winery, Zýme, as well as the wines he produces, such as the Amarone della Valpolicella Classico La Mattonara Riserva we are discussing today. However, I had not yet had the chance to meet Celestino in person, nor to taste his wine. At the Maroni event, I filled both gaps.

The winery's name, Zýme, comes from Greek and means yeast – an essential founding element of wine but also a metaphor for ferment, an inclination toward transformation, and the establishment of a new relationship with nature and the land. This idea of transformation is central to Celestino's philosophy, as he has wholeheartedly embraced the principles of eco-sustainability, while maintaining a meticulous attention to the most modern technologies within a renewed harmony between man and his territory. A deep understanding of farming practices and production processes, always in respect of nature and its rhythms, is therefore essential.

Tradition and innovation, culture and history, research and experimentation are the rails along which Celestino's experience as a producer runs. A journey that began many years ago, starting with his encounter with Bepi Quintarelli, his future father-in-law, with whom he would collaborate for a long period. A fruitful collaboration that allowed him to accumulate expertise, which he would later put to use as a consultant for other wineries, leading up to his current venture, which he began on his own at the dawn of the century. A long path that led Celestino to reconsider, for example, certain traditional vineyard management methods, having witnessed a progressive impoverishment of the soil and an ever-decreasing capacity for self-protection by the microflora and microfauna naturally present in the ground.

The wine I am telling you about today is, as mentioned, the Amarone della Valpolicella Classico La Mattonara Riserva from the 2004 vintage – a wine that takes its name from the location where the new winery was built: a sedimentary stone quarry dating back to the 1400s, known as "La Mattonara."

The grapes used to make the wine are predominantly Corvina and Corvinone, with a blend of Rondinella, Oseleta and Croatina, grown in old vineyards on clay-limestone soils in the municipality of Negrar. All operations are carried out in full respect of nature: from organic fertilization to manual pruning, from shoot selection to leaf removal and bunch thinning. The grapes are carefully selected and dried for a period of approximately three months.

Vinification follows strictly the traditional method in concrete tanks, with a skin contact period of at least two months. Fermentation takes place with indigenous yeast at natural temperatures. After racking, the wine rests for a full nine years in large casks and oak tonneau from Slavonia, and is bottled in its tenth year of age. The long aging process favors a further reduction in residual sugars. Bottle refinement for at least one year follows.

Now for the tasting notes.

The wine is an intense ruby red with garnet glints. When swirled, the glass forms very tight, thick arches with tears that slide down slowly – a clear sign of great structure. On the nose we immediately perceive great depth, with prominent fruity notes of sour cherry jam, dried plums, and cherries in spirit. These are followed by spicy notes of pepper and vanilla, then liquorice, tobacco, and hints of aromatic herbs. The olfactory spectrum expands further when the wine is left to rest in the glass for a few minutes. Toasty, chocolatey notes emerge, along with leather and ink. A decidedly broad wine. The palate is enormous and concentrated, with acidity balancing the great glyceric softness. Understandably robust, it closes with a very long finish and a balsamic retronasal sensation.

It is all too easy to imagine further evolution for this "very young" specimen, which already impresses today for its drinking pleasure, and will continue to do so for who knows how long. A wine I would pair with cheeses such as an aged Monte Veronese or a roast garnished with aromatic herbs such as rosemary or thyme.