Veneto, Italy
Few red wines satisfy or are as deliciously versatile (and underrated) as the great Corvina-based Valpolicellas from the Veneto. Lovingly tending a scant seventeen acres in the Valpolicella’s tenderloin Classico sector, father-and-daughter team of Giuseppe and Silvia Lonardi craft one of the region’s finest portfolios of Valpolicellas, Ripassos, and Amarones. Lonardi’s 2019 Valpolicella Classico – a traditional blend of Corvina (75%), Rondinella (20%), and Molinara – casts an orange-rimmed garnet color and a fresh bouquet of wild cherry, green peppercorns, bay leaf, rhubarb, and sweet tobacco. Lively and vibrant in the mouth, Lonardi’s Valpolicella deftly expresses the red-fruited clarity and understated complexity of a great Valpolicella with spicy pie cherry, cranberry, and pomegranate accented by suggestions of bitter orange zest, dried herbs, and earthy rhubarb. Notes of woodsy pipe tobacco, cinnamon, and lavender emerge on the wine’s long, zesty finish. We suggest pairing Lonardi’s Valpolicella with simple, satisfying foods like charcuterie, roast chicken, burgers, and vegetable pasta dishes. Drink now or over the next two years.
A January 2022 newsletter selection
