2018 Toar Valpolicella Classico Superiore, Masi, Veneto, Italy

OVERVIEW

Agricola Masi is one of the best known Valpolicella producer in the Vento whose Amarone wines are consistent award winners. Their Toar is a unique, almost hobbyist wine, a take on a traditional Valpolicella including the rare and indigenous Osleta grape as 10% of the blend adding weighty tannins to the wine. This grape was thought to be have been lost to antiquity until Masi rediscovered the variety in the 1990s.

There's a lot of production cost going into this wine with special oak usage and the specifics of harvesting the unique Osleta grape on such tricky soils so it's surprising how high the quality of this wine is in light of the very fair price point. It's also  delicious to boot and capable of ageing for up to 20 years!

CRITIC REVIEWS

Deep, cherry-wood gleam, sonorous. Black cherries and goji berries. Dark and grippily sensuous but also with something very earth-connected – like the fissured, dark bark of an old, old tree. Pressed sloe berries, black elderberries. A long, purposeful backbone of acidity, a brush of ink dust and char, but then back to the sweet intensity of wild-berried fruit. A wine for food. 16.5 Points Jancis Robinson

FOOD PAIRING INSPIRATION

Probably the most flexible and food friendly wine we sell, this Valpolicella is calling out for tomato based dishes like pizza and pasta. This is a great, well-priced weekday wine that will go so well with a range of dishes including grilled meats too.

VINTAGE AND WINEMAKING

A good-excellent vintage with a mixed bag of temperatures with a cold spring and early summer and then very warm temperatures in August and September. Overall, the season was warmer than average with August one of the hottest on record.

The assemblage is 80% Corvina, 10% Rondinella, 10% Oseleta.

PRODUCER NOTES

Masi Agricola celebrated their 250th harvest is 2022 and have roots going back in Valpolicella throughout this time. In more recent years they have launched winemaking ventures in Tuscany, Trentino, Valdobbiadene and Argentina and produce a wide range of wines, from traditional Amarones to more experimental Valpolicellas in the Veneto. The Masi family have owned the vineyards since 1772 and are now in their seventh winemaking generation.

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SERVICE AND STORAGE TIPS

This wine should be stored around 12°C and served between 16-18°C. We recommend a minimum of 3 hours decanting before approaching this wine.

DELIVERY INFORMATION

Delivery is free when you spend over £150. For orders under this amount then a £9.99 delivery charge will be applied.

We use a tracked DPD delivery service who provide text and email tracking updates.

Every bottle sold by CoolerSomm is subject to our quality guarantee. If a wine is corked or faulty, we will replace it.

2018 Toar Valpolicella Classico Superiore, Masi, Veneto, Italy