Bussola 2018 Valpolicella Ripasso Classico Superiore Ca del Laito

Bussola Tommaso 2017 “Ca’ del Laito” Valpolicella Ripasso Classic Superiore

Pairs with: Porcini risotto

Good for: Locking yourself in the bathroom to take a bubble bath away from the kids.

Grape: Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella

I am from: Valpolicella, Italy

The story: When Veneto legend Giuseppe Quintarelli was asked years ago to name the region’s next superstar, he didn’t hesitate: Tommaso Bussola. Quintarelli’s prediction began to be realized in 1999, when Tommaso’s 1995s were released. Among the countless accolades he received, Gambero Rosso gave him the first of many Tre Bicchieris for his majestic Recioto TB.

Originally trained as a stone mason, Tommaso took over over his uncle’s Valpolicella estate—with its prized old vineyards in the heart of the Classico zone—in the mid-1980s. While vineyard work came naturally to him, he experimented relentlessly, and absorbed information and ideas from every source available. With each passing vintage, his wines came to show more polish, finesse, intensity, and personality. By the late nineties, his style had matured, and his wines had become world-famous for their incredible intensity of fruit. Like other top Veneto winemakers, he uses new barrels, but any hint of new wood is hidden by cascades of lush, opulent fruit. Despite being the estate's standard wines, the Ca’ del Laito selections are near the summit of the Valpolicella pyramid. Only estate fruit is used, including declassified wine from top sites like Alto, Soto el Barbi, Casali and Ca’ del Laito.