CORVINA

Tommaso Bussola BG Amarone della Valpolicella Classico 2007
$150; cork; 28APR10; 90++ points
“Amarone” is a winemaking technique named with the Italian word for bitter or sharp. More precisely, the technique is called appassimento, and the wines are called passito, from appisire, “to dry” - the grapes are dried carefully on racks before ferment. Made mainly from the thick-skinned Corvina variety, the smaller-berried Rondinella, and perhaps some Molinara grapes, this wine was simple and honest and soft, with caramel chocolate comfort tones, and feathers and guts to remind you that you didn’t fight your way to the top of the food chain to be a vegetarian. Its finish involves a little turpene, like Tempranillo, and old harness leather, but there was very little tannin. This seemed a slightly shy, pink-cheeked, wallflower of a wine. I’m going straight across there to dance with her.