2016 Tommaso Bussola TB Valpolicella Classico Superiore, Veneto, Italy 750ml

The 2015 Valpolicella Classico Superiore TB is an intense and powerful effort that blends crushed cherry cordials with balsamic and autumnal spices to create a dramatic display that will remind you more of Amazon than Vaolpolicella.  It’s silky-smooth texture and much more savory than you’d expect following its extroverted bouquet.  Within I’m finding tart red berries and salty minerals as well as a bitter twang of pure cocoa.  There’s amazing persistence, too as this finished incredibly long, spicy and with a buildup of chewy concentration.  It’s hard to compare this large-scale wine within its own category, yet there’s plenty of pleasure to be found.  This is made using 50% fresh and 50% dried grapes, all aged in new 700-liter barrels, and it shows.