2007 Harlequin
Estimated value
Buying options
Tasting notes
Zymé’s flagship 2007 Harlequin is remarkably soft and delicate for the vintage. Soft, floral notes lead to silky red fruits in an impeccably refined red loaded with personality. The 2007 is all about grace and weightless elegance, yet at the same time, there is plenty of depth and richness in the glass. Layers of racy, perfumed dark red fruit linger on the plush finish. In 2007, Harlequin is drop-dead gorgeous. For his flagship wine, Celestino Gaspari chooses his best fruit, encompassing at least fifteen different varieties. The fruit is air-dried for anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. The grapes are co-fermented, with 100% whole clusters, in cement vats using only indigenous yeasts and the wine is aged in 100% new oak barrels. In this vintage, Gaspari aged the wine for 15 months in new oak, then racked the wine into a second set of 100% new barrels for another 15 months. Those are just details, though, because what truly counts is that the wine is fabulous. Drop-dead gorgeous, in fact. Harlequin is a blend of 15 or more varieties, including 4 whites.
Critic scores
Average Score
Monica Larner, Wine Advocate
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Zyme’s flagship wine is the 2007 Harlequin. Representing the best selection of the same 15 grape varieties used in the Kairos, Harlequin is a seriously big wine no matter how you approach it. Inky dark in appearance, it oozes forth over the senses with dark fruit, pungent Indian spice, cinnamon snap, cherry liqueur, dried herbs, tobacco, resin and tar. The idea here is to present massive oneness of vinous intensity and momentum, rather than highlight the characteristics of any single grape variety. The wine is so huge, I’m not sure what foods would pair here other than grilled T-bone steak. Give it at least five years to find balance before popping the cork. Drink 2017-2027. From his cave-like cellars in San Pietro in Cariano, Celestino Gaspari oversees some of the most exciting and innovative work underway in Valpolicella today. At one point in his career, it seemed likely that Celestino would take the reigns from his late father-in-law, Giuseppe Quintarelli. But many years before the death of that legendary Valpolicella figure, Celestino decided to break off and start his own brand instead. He approached his new project with a level of creative expression and new thinking that is rare to find in a region steeped so deeply in local tradition. Importer: Banville & Jones Wine Merchants, www.bjwm.com
Zyme’s flagship wine is the 2007 Harlequin. Representing the best selection of the same 15 grape varieties used in the Kairos, Harlequin is a seriously big wine no matter how you approach it. Inky dark in appearance, it oozes forth over the senses with dark fruit, pungent Indian spice, cinnamon snap, cherry liqueur, dried herbs, tobacco, resin and tar. The idea here is to present massive oneness of vinous intensity and momentum, rather than highlight the characteristics of any single grape variety. The wine is so huge, I’m not sure what foods would pair here other than grilled T-bone steak. Give it at least five years to find balance before popping the cork. Drink 2017-2027. Oct 2013, www.robertparker.com
About the producer
Product details
Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah / Shiraz, Sangiovese, Croatina, Teroldego, Rondinella, Corvina/Corvinone, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Trebbiano/Ugni Blanc, Other
Red
Dry