The Anomalous Gem: Veneto Monovarietals

"The Veneto is special as far as Italian wine regions are concerned," Giancarlo Mastella, director of Allegrini's illustrious Villa della Torre estate once said to me over a tasting, "because unlike other regions in Italy, we do not have a star red grape like Sangiovese in Tuscany or Nebbiolo in Piemdmont. Instead, we have three." These three grapes are a source of pride for Veneto winemakers, whose Valpolicella, Ripasso, and Amarone wines are blends of the three red indigenous grapes, Corvina, Rondinella, and Molinara. In fact, it is often rare to find a monovarietal red hiding behind the classic bottles of "Corvina blends" from the Valpolicella region.

However, there are some playful Valpolicella producers who have dedicated a spot in their cantine to the Corvina grape (corvina coming from the Latin word for "black," giving a pretty good indication of the grape's color) and all of its cherry-flavored glory. Most recently I have had two which have impressed me so much that they are more than worth sharing. 

Cesari Jèma Corvina Veronese IGT

Made of hand-harvested Corvina grapes which have been dried for 20 days before an extended 20 day maceration on its skins and 18 months in oak, this wine is beautifully structured. It took about an hour for the cherry flavor with hints of chocolate to fully open, and once it did, I wished I had bought more bottles. I drank Jèma - with comes from the Italian gemma, meaning both "gem" and "bud on a grape vine" - on New Year's eve with a buttery filet mignon, but any game meats or aged cheeses would compliment this gem of a Jèma beautifully.

Allegrini La Poja Corvina Veronese IGT

In 1979, Giovanni Allegrini made the unconventional decision to plant only Corvina Veronese grapes in the best possible location of his vineyards at the top of La Grola hill (any visit to Villa della Torre will quickly reveal how proud the family is of that particular spot and those vines). I remember sitting at the table with Giancarlo as he introduced me to the wine, placing it even after the conventional Amarone and praising it for its innovativeness (in being a monovarietal), structure, balance, and piacevolezza (pleasantness). And it deserved it - the wine was structured, complex, and told the story of the elegance of Verona and the gentile sophistication of the Allegrini family. The full-bodied La Poja spends four years aging and intense flavors of dark cherries, herbs, and spices appear after about an hour of being open, has stellar age-ability of 15-20 years and can be paired with aged cheeses, game, and red meats. 

Any others I'm forgetting or thoughts on these innovative, interesting wines?