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

The 2006 Harlequin is one of the most exciting, viscerally thrilling wines I have tasted in a while. Sweet aromas of roasted espresso beans lead to wild cherries, mint, licorice, blackberry jam and star anise as this opulent, full-throttle wine shows off its inimitable class and pedigree. Today the oak remains a touch intrusive, particularly in the tannins, but there appears to be more than enough density in the fruit to provide balance. The finish is eternal. This is a profound effort from Celestino Gaspari and his team. Harlequin is made from as many as fifteen different varieties. The grapes go through a brief drying process prior to being vinified. The wine is then racked into French oak, where it spends two full years with no subsequent rackings. Anticipated maturity: 2016-2026. 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. Importer: Riviera Imports, Long Island City, NY; tel. (917) 328-8830

The estate’s 1999 Harlequin is remarkably fresh for a wine of its age. Some of the density has receded, but the wine is immensely appealing in its ripe red fruit, tar, licorice and minerals. The wine turns quite a bit more powerful in the glass, with an attractive smokiness that lingers on the close. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2019. Proprietor Celestino Gaspari boasts one of the most extensive resumes in Valpolicella. Once widely considered the heir-apparent at Quintarelli, where he worked for a number of years, Gaspari subsequently consulted for a number of local wineries, helping launch some of the most exciting young properties on the scene. More recently Gaspari has scaled back his consulting activities to focus on his own project. The dramatic Zyme cellars are carved out of rock and hold some of the most dramatic wines being made in Veneto today. Zyme is still a young property, and I am curious to see what happens here over the coming years. Gaspari is highly ambitious and technically very proficient, as these wines clearly show. The open question is whether he will allow the wines to express more personality over the coming years. Given his track record elsewhere, there is every reason to think that will indeed be the case. There is a very clear struggle here in trying to acknowledge tradition on one hand, while not being excessively bound by convention on the other hand. As a result, the top wine here is not Amarone, but Harlequin, a blend of various grapes given a short time of air-drying and aged in 100% new French oak. All of these wines required considerable aeration for some of the SO2 to blow off.Importer: Riviera Imports, Long Island City, NY; tel. (917) 328-8830