Amarone Wine From Valpolicella

Amarone wines are made through a process called appassimento, in which harvested grapes are left to dry out for a time before vinification begins, causing the grapes to shrivel considerably, leaving a more concentrated fruit.  The Italian wine guide Gambero Rosso recently held a virtual tour of Italy, in which one important stop was Valpolicella, where Amarone is made.

Speri Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Sant'Urbano 2016

Speri was founded in Valpolicella in 1874 and is now run by the seventh generation of Speris, although the estate dates back to the 16th century.  Valpolicella is in Verona, part of the Veneto region of Italy.  The Speri organic wine is made from grapes grown in three different districts of Veneto, and each vineyard is vinified separately so that each wine is a single-vineyard effort, not just the Amarones.  

The grapes in the 2016 Speri Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Sant'Urbano are 70% Corvina Veronese, 25% Rondinella, and 5% Corvinone.  Winemaker Alberto Speri says the grapes were dried for four months, eliminating more than 40% of their original weight.  Vinification starts in stainless steel tanks, then finishes in oak barrels.  The wine was aged two years in Allier oak tonneaux, plus 18 months in Slavonian barrels and another year in the bottle.

Alcohol is a bit higher than most Italian wines - 15% abv - due to the drying of the grapes.  It sells for around $50.

This dark wine offers aromas of blackberry, vanilla and cedar on the nose, along with a strong sense of minerals.  Dark fruit dominates on the palate, with sweet oak spice, chalky limestone minerality and very firm tannins.  Have a steak with it, or game meat dishes.  

Tenuta Sant’Antonio Amarone della Valpolicella Campo dei Gigli 2016

Four Brothers - Armando, Tiziano, Paolo and Massimo Castagnedi - established Tenuta Sant'Antonio in 1987, in the heart of Valpolicella.  Paolo is the head winemaker, who turns the estate's Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella Croatina and Oseleta grapes into magic.

The grapes for the 2016 Tenuta Sant'Antonio Amarone della Valpolicella Campo dei Gigli came from the town of Mezzane di Sotto, in the Monti Garbi District of Verona.  Those grapes are 70% Corvina and Corvinone, 20% Rondinella, 5% Croatina and 5% Oseleta.  Vinification took place in oak casks, as did the three years of aging, with new oak all around.  The wine's alcohol level sits at 16% abv and it retails for about $60.

This wine has a rather explosive nose - aromas of black cherry and smoke provide an ample backdrop for the balsamic notes that come later.  I get a whiff of smoked meat and a bit of black olive at times, too.  On the palate, the dark fruit is simply luscious, while the taste of licorice hangs around on the lengthy finish.  The tannins seem fairly tame at first sip, but they sharpen up later.  

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