Rating

Wine Spectator 91 points (Apr 17 2013) The taut tannins provide the muscle, backing flavors of juicy, sundried cherry, grilled herb and smoke, with hints of date and licorice. Features a lightly dusty finish. Drink now through 2023.—A.N.

Wine maker notes

This wine is produced from vineyards scattered throughout Italy’s historic Valpolicella Classico region in the towns of Negrar, Marano, Sant’Ambrogio, Fumane, and San Pietro in Cariano. The grapes are dried in plastic crates for three to four months and the wine then undergoes maceration on the skins followed by fermentation in stainless steel vats. It is aged for three years in Slavonian oak barrels and French oak casks, barriques, and tonneaux. Elegant and warm with a velvety mouthfeel, Amarone della Valpolicella Classico offers a bouquet of ripe fruit and cherries. It pairs well with hearty dishes like game, grilled red meats, and aged cheeses.