MCF Rare Wine
Magical Amarone Zen
If you often have the fantasy of living out the idyllic life of owning a small biodynamic farm/winery, that you tend to yourself, cultivating everything from vines and fruit trees, to olives and bees, on your own tiny, enchanting plot of land, high up in the beautiful hills...
...just know that Zeno Zegnoli of Monte dei Ragni is living that fantasy in the Valpolicella zone of Northern Italy.
From his charming little piece of the world, he produces just two wines - a Valpolicella Ripasso and an Amarone.
(He will make a non-ripasso valpo in years when things aren't quite up to snuff, but not by choice.)
While it's by no means any 'easy' life, from the PoV of a shop owner in pitiless NYC, it certainly seems like the paradigm of a humble, zen-like existence.
Enjoying either of his wines will give you a taste of that zen-like existence. (pun intended)
These are humbly profound wines of stunning elegance, clarity and depth. (period)
The Ripasso 2020 is a streamlined, focused wine of darkly pitched fruit that's interwoven with deep, pungent earth and exotic spice, wrapped around a stony core, and it glides along the palate with so much energy.
The Amarone takes all of that to its most complete, stunningly elegant and fabulously complex apex. It's packed with flavor and depth, while feeling seamless and graceful on the palate. The embodiment of finesse, but with all of that dark, spicy, pungent, smoky, tarry Amarone nuance dancing throughout.
In Italy, they refer to these as 'Wines of Meditation'...
...as in, you sip this wine and ponder the meaning of things...
...they're so enthralling that it's all you can do.
Even locally in the region, Zeno's wines are very difficult to encounter. Here in the states, though, we're talking like 100 six-packs-for-the-country hard to encounter...
...so act accordingly...
...and live out that fantasy, one glorious, meditative sip at a time.
MONTE dei RAGNI
Valpolicella Ripasso Classico Superiore 2020
Amarone della Valpolicella Classico 2017
You may also order by replying to this message or calling 212.255.8870.
Matt Franco
MCF Rare Wine, Ltd
249 West 13th Street NYC 10011
212.255.8870
Looking for a wine you loved from a past newsletter or a favorite you can't find anywhere? Email Raphael at raphael@mcf-rarewine.com, and we'll do our best to find it for you!
