PV Tasting Notes
Celestino is creating something very special in very short order, having been the master winemaker at Quinerelli for 11 years, and wanting to make his own mark on the world of wine, the releases coming from this small but perfectly formed estate border on astonishing. The Bordeaux Blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Cabernet Franc and 20% Merlot which I first tasted from tank early 2010 and it was already something quite special. Since bottling, this has lost a little weight and shut down a little, but I think it will come back to the super concentrated, full bodied wine I remember. For the moment, there is still a wonderful array of Lavender dusted cedar, black berries, truffle, Asian spices and leather. The tannins seem a little bolder than they were, but that is not a problem, a little more time in bottle will bring this back to where it was before bottling. This is a serious red which comes across as if it has somewhat closed in on itself, but just a bit more time will help it develop into something really top flight.
Independent Review92 Points Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate Feb 2011
The 2007 602020 is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot, in those proportions. This beautifully delineated, refined wine boasts notable class and elegance in its dark fruit, espresso, white truffles, grilled herbs, violets and minerals. The wine’s voluptuous, sleek texture and sweet tannin are first-class. This is a fabulous wine from Zyme. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2022.
Proprietor Celestino Gaspari was once the heir apparent at Quintarelli. He has since struck out on his own at Zyme, where he spares no expense in his quest to make rich, textured wines. With this set of new releases it appears Gaspari has begun to achieve some of his lofty goals. These are simply fabulous wines. It will be interesting to see where the estate goes from here, but the direction seems pretty clear.
This beautiful Cabernet blend is best with Rack or Saddle of Lamb, will also suit very well Roast Leg of Lamb, Shoulder or Fillet of Beef, Sautéed calf’s liver, Partridge or Grouse, fried sweetbreads or Kidneys with a rich sauce e.g. béarnaise, will also suit roast ribs of Beef or grilled Rump.
Zyme, is the ancient word for Yeast or ferment, and Celestino Gaspari chose it as the brand name for his own dream project located in Valpolicella. The fifteen hectare estate and was founded in 2003, The aging of the wines continues in beautiful and quite dramatic underground cellars which are carved out of a sandstone quarry dating from 1400AD although winemaking activity precedes this date. Celestino was the winemaker at Quinterelli for a period of eleven years and is married to the daughter of Giuseppe Quintarelli, widely considered the heir-apparent; but he has a deep sense of individuality and felt without adequate expression here, wanting to stamp his own mark on the world of wine, decided to work on his own project; Which included, developing new and unique grape varietals introducing different growing techniques and bringing back almost extinct species.
Gaspari is a quiet and very determined man, technically highly proficient and totally in touch nature, he wants his wines to have strong individuality drawing from the best of nature and with his skills creating something on a higher plain. He is clearly very ambitious and has struggled within the bounds of tradition in both previous employment and working within the rules of the DOC, because of this, his and unlike many other top producers of the region his top wine is not the Amarone, but is in fact quite simply Vino Rosso IGT (red table wine); however, there is nothing simple about this or his other wines; Above all else - one thing is certain, Gaspari is an Artist.
In order to pay the bills over last few years Gaspari has been assisting some of the most exciting young properties in the north Italian provinces, but has totally scaled back the consulting work now to concentrate more on his own dreams and I simply cannot believe any of these other projects will be nearly as exciting as this.