Masi Bonacosta Valpolicella Classico 2023

Most producers would be content with notching up a single ground-breaking contribution to the wine culture of their region. As dedicated to research as they are to winemaking, and driven by an unwavering desire to stay at the cutting edge, Masi has managed three in the last sixty years. They are perhaps best known as a leading Amarone producer, having been instrumental in the development of this extraordinary style, made solely from semi-dried grapes. In the late 1950s, they identified certain historic vineyard plots which are vinified as Amarone and bottled separately to this day. Their work on other wine styles has been no less influential, however. In 1964, they launched the now-legendary Campofiorin, which revived the technique of a second fermentation with semi-dried grapes, adding depth and complexity to Valpolicella. They have also rescued the ancient Oseleta Variety from extinction, using it to bring a depth of color and a layer of spicy-inky intensity to the Riserva di Costasera, Toar Valpolicella, and Brolo di Campofiorin, as well as presenting it solo in the wine called Osar.