Recioto della Valpolicella Velluto Meroni 2016

Recioto della Valpolicella Velluto Meroni, natural, sweet, unctuous, passito, stunning dessert wine. This is wine which takes you immediately to the rolling hills of the Valpolicella, sitting overlooking the vines sipping Recioto and grazing on Gorgonzola. Crafted by a true artisan in Carlo Meroni in the classic production method, it is traditional Valpolicella in the best sense of the word. There is a lot of pretty ropey Valpolicella out there, cheap imitations of the real thing are always disappointing but when you get a good one, it expresses Italian wine at its seductive best. Sweet but not cloying, layered with spice, dried fruits and nuts. An absolute stunner.

Carlo Meroni took over from his father and continued the family legacy of producing traditional Valpolicella wines with minimum intervention from their ancient soils in the birth place of Amarone, Sant Ambrogio.

Meroni wines are not for the faint hearted. They posess an honesty and authenticity that is not all that common in a region where industrialisation has taken hold and modernism has had a profound effect on wine styles. Valpolicella, Ripasso, Amarone are often blockbuster wines now and the demand is high but many lack the personality to be truly authentic. In many cases the wines are 'too precise' to be real. Meroni on the other hand strives for honesty rather than perfection. The wines oscillate between aromas of old barrels and earth, spices and tobacco mingle with forest floor, raisins, prunes soaked in grappa and and an old dusty cellar type aroma, all of which is wrapped up in a hedonistic mix of alcohol and mature fruit. Serious wines which can be enjoyed simplistically. These are the wines of the Poet and artist and when you see Carlo around town (you can't miss the guy, trust me!), you understand this family winery has the soul of an artist. And the name Velluto, where does it come from? Well there is nice story there. During the second world war, the Poet Berto Berberani was passing through the Valpolicella and after drinking the Meroni wine in Sant Ambrogio, he wrote a Poem....it is below with translation.Meroni Caro, abbiamo ricevutoil S. Ambrogio fatto di velluto / e che alla tua saluta abbiamo bevuto... / In queste universali parapiglie, ti auguriamo che le tue bottiglie, / sono la farmacia delle famiglie!Dear Meroni, we received the S. Ambrogio wine made of Velvet / and we have drunk it to your health... / I must say that in this time of universal turmoil / your wine is like a good medicine to all of us!