Monte dei Ragni

Monte dei Ragni is a tiny jewel of a Valpolicella wine estate perched at between 250 and 350 metres above sea-level on the vertiginous slopes above Fumane, at the heart of the Valpolicella Classico zone. Only 1,200 bottles of their Amarone are produced.

As with Monte dei Ragni’s Ripasso, the production of this classically proportioned Amarone is very limited (only around 1,900 bottles were made). The fruit is bright and intense on the nose and palate, with plum pudding and mocha richness layered with dried figs and macerated cherry. The mid-palate is plump and the finish is generous. Drink now to 2027.

Just to clarify: it’s a Superiore as opposed to a ‘Ripasso’ on account of it not being passed over the lees of Amarone. A blend of autochthonous varieties Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella, Molinara, Oseleta, Croatina, Sangioveto, the fruit was picked fresh from Zeno’s pergola trained vineyards & dried on wooden cassette/baskets for two weeks in an open barn (above a growing collection of vintage tractors!)

This natural (not forced) process leads to an evaporation of approx 10%of the water; the fruit being pressed once the stalks have turned brown (or else the green chlorophyll stains the wine & the taste). Fermented in open french tonneau (500 litre) before being aged for approx 3 years in the very same (used) tonneaux. What strikes you about this wine is its sublime gentleness, purity & drinkability.

Tasted blind you’d be forgiven for thinking it was a very ripe Pinot Noir! 2007 was dry & hot; some parts of the Valpolicella zone were hit by hail, but not in Zeno’s town of Fumane. Both the colour & nose of this wine echo the warmth of the vintage, being a sunny bright red colour with distinct ‘rosa canina’ (wild rose) floral & red berry notes, along with those of dried grass & spice.

The dry medium/full palate’s so textural with crushed strawberry flavours kept fresh & sapid by the salty, tangy that Zeno attributes to the (now outlawed?!) Molinara grape (pale in colour & richly structured). A brilliant companion at any meal, especially where there’s salami served. Drinking now till 2017 at least.
(David Berry Green)

This is a deep-seated and mesmerising wine whose silky balsamic flavours are harmoniously entwined. Zenos hands on approach both in the vineyard and cellar provide a wonderful freshness too, without being overbearing in alcohol.
David Berry Green, August 2011

2008 hails a return to a more classically shaped Ragni Valpolicella wine. The nose is fresh with violet scents, creamy chocolate and kirsch griottines, while the palate remains totally focused and ‘cool’, just like its creator. It is an intense, generously fleshy, yet medium to full bodied wine, with cherry polpa (pulp) notes that are balanced by an almost salty quality, which I sense may derive from the Molinara fruit in the blend.
(David Berry Green)