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Marchesi
Fumanelli Valpolicella Classico, 2005 Valpolicella
(vahl-paw-lee-CHEHL-lah) is a red wine from western Veneto, Italy, using Corvina,
Molinara, and Rondinella grapes. “Classico” refers to the traditional center
of Valpolicella production; about half of all Valpolicella falls into this
category. There are misconceptions about the styles of Valpolicella. Basic
Valpolicellas ($8-12) are usually light, thin, and acidic. The better producers
($13-17), such as Fumanelli, strive for lower yields, riper grapes, and more
fruit and color extraction. ‘Superiore’ refers to wines aged in wood (not
those of higher alcohol as many sources would have you believe). ‘Ripasso’
is a term that may be discontinued. Most sources mistakenly claim that these
wines are aged in Amarone barrels; in fact, they simply undergo a second
fermentation on the skins. This artificial aging method is cheaper than the
real thing. Most
Valpolicellas are drunk relatively young - within three years - and
traditionally served around 56 - 60 degrees F. Lesser versions are fine with
poultry and pork, but the better wines will stand up to lamb and beef. Our
featured wine comes from 30-year old vines in the heart of the classico district. The
bouquet shows cherry and blackberry fruit. Light on its feet, it has great
balance and an intriguing interplay of ripe tannin, acidity, and the
“sweetness” of ripe fruit. Try it with Boccone’s
Steak Valpolicella. The
Fumanelli Family has cultivated their land since 1470. Cellars were dug beneath
the Villa late in the 15th century, but wine production didn’t begin until
1600. The quality of the vineyards flagged during and after World War I, and
winemaking ceased in 1927, though the estate continued to grow and sell grapes.
The property was resuscitated in the 1970s and 1980s, and production resumed with
the 1999 vintage. The Fumanellis still sell grapes to Bolla and Bertani, but
they save the best for their own wines. These will continue to improve as recent
plantings of superior clones on a new trelllising system called Guiot 5/6000
begin to come “on line.” Viticulture
in Veneto predates the Romans who applied the term Rhetic to the wine coming
from the area south of Lake Garda. The wine, praised by Pliny the Elder, Virgil,
Martial, and Suetonius, was clearly from the region now known as Valpolicella.
The name refers to the wine and to a town in this region and dates to the late
12th century when administrative officials in Verona took control of a valley
along the river Adige as far as Pol (Santa Lucia di Pescantina) for tax and
justice purposes. Thus it was first called valle di Pol.
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