- Amarone della Valpolicella Valpantena - 2015

Amarone della Valpolicella Valpantena 2015

- 90 points -

Valpantena, the name for the hillsides where this wine was grown, means valley of the gods. It is also the only cru sub-zone in Valpo. This blends 80% corvina veronese with 20% rondinella, with select ripe bunches sent to the drying rooms of the winery in Grezzana, where they are laid out in single-layer crates. In mid-January, the grapes are destemmed, crushed, and fermented. A part ages in Slavonian oak barrels, with the remainder in barriques for about 30 months. After bottling, this rests for a minimum of six months before release. As expected, this all yields a concentrated, dense, rich and intense wine, with sweet dark blackberries, kirsch, raspberry cordial on a plump palate, padded by raisins and studded with peppercorns. Tannins are sticky and the finish is very warm, at 15.5 degrees. This would work alongside rich blue cheese dishes.

July 2019


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Anthony Gismondi is one of North America's most influential wine critics. Both a writer and broadcaster he is currently in his 25th year as wine columnist at the Vancouver Sun where his twice weekly wine columns and videos are seen by one million readers a week. His comprehensive and busy wine review websitewww.gismondionwine.com features over 20,000 tasting notes and attracts over a half million visitors a month from some 70 countries. He is also the co-host of the longest running, weekly, wine and food show in Canadian radio: The Best of Food and Wine. The show airs in prime time every Thursday evening from 6-7pm Pacific on CISL 650am.