2017 Roccolo Grassi Valpolicella Superior DOC

VIN94+ Once again, I’m thoroughly impressed by the Roccolo Grassi Valpolicella Superiore. It’s pretty amazing that Marco Sartori can achieve a balance of depth and intensity that few producers can replicate. The Valpolicella is made using 30% appassimento grapes dried for twenty days. It’s refined in a 50%-50% mix of large oak cask and barrique, of which only about 20% are new. When placed next to an Amarone (because it’s hard to compare this to other Valpolicella), it shows more energy and minerality, yet with a similar amount of power. As for the vintage, 2017 plays well with the Grassi style, yet make sure to open these wines well before tasting. The 2017 Valpolicella Superiore by Roccolo Grassi is a sleeping giant. It slowly awakens in the glass with a dark mix of herbal-tinged plums, cracked ashen stone, incense and dried flowers. This is silky verging on velvety, with a core of stimulating acidity that helps to enliven depths of ripe mineral-inflected red and black fruits as inner violet florals collect toward the close. The 2017 boasts a lovely inner sweetness to counterbalance the fine-grained tannins and primary concentration, as it finishes youthfully structured, leaving a hint of salted licorice to linger. The warmth of the vintage has added an extra dimension to the fruit here, yet some cellaring is still recommended to allow its aromatics to come fully into focus.” Drink 2024 – 2032