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| ~ Large Botte in the Masi Cantina ~ |
Masi is a stalwart producer from the Veneto region and while they are richly proud of their heritage and use predominantly indigenous Veronese grapes, for some time now they have been on the leading edge of propelling quality wine production forward in the Veneto.
The Valpolicella region is suffering. Not unlike the straw covered flasks of generic Chianti, Valpolicella suffers from an image that portrays cheap, low quality wine. Indeed, there is much of that produced and those wines, that have sullied the reputation of the DOC, have given rise to a wave of wines made outside the governmental regulations.
Not unlike the conditions that swept Chianti Classico in the late 1970’s, leading Antinori to break the rules by creating Tignanello, so too have quality minded producers eschewed convention in order to craft the best wines possible.
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| ~ Ricotta filled Ravioli with pancetta and reggiano cream ~ |
The 2010 Masi Campofiorin is a Veronese red comprised of 70% Corvina, 25% Rondinella, and 5% Molinara. Unlike a Ripasso, which passes fresh grape juice over used Amarone must in order to boost body and complexity in a wine – Masi takes a slightly different approach for Campofiorin. Masi reserves a percentage of the fruit specifically for Campofiorin and dries it before pressing – similar to an Amarone. No secondary fermentation with used must is employed. The result is noticeable in the finished wine.
The 2010 Campofiorin is a deep plum color with only the slightest of ruby reflections at the rim. The aromas are intense and generous. There’s crushed red berries and plums that combine with Christmas baking spices, fresh new leather, and licorice. The aroma begs a taste. On the palate, the wine is full bodied, with a rich, viscous texture that remains fresh from the ample acidity. Crushed plums, toast, and a hint of bitter chocolate round this out and the finish dotted with licorice herbs.
This drinks very well now and what I appreciate about the wine is it’s versatility with food. We paired this with two excellent pastas that were enjoyed at Tutto Italia in Disney’s Epcot Center. I was a bit skeptical about the food, but this restaurant was absolutely great and the wide variety of dishes we had were amazing. 91 points, about $15 retail, $40 on the wine list.
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| ~ Campofiorin is a Proprietary Veronese Red ~ |
In addition to pairing well with the ravioli above – where the wine played off the rich cheese and the smokey notes from the pancetta, it also matched exceptionally with tagliatelle with pesto and burrata. Again, the richness of the cheese was an easy match, but the pesto – made of arugula and basil – brought out an almost minty quality in the Campofiorin.
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| ~ Tagliatelle with Arugula & Basil Pesto ~ |
Salute!
Nice write up; but $15 retail. Have never seen it that low at least in NYC.
NYC? Of course not. Wine Searcher shows it as low as $13 in some spots. I've seen it locally for $14-16, especially of a retailer gets it on RIP