This Week's Must-Try Wines from Vinous
Tommaso Bussola
Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Corvina Blend 2018
The 2018 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico is darkly alluring, with a sweetly scented bouquet that blends medicinal cherries with sage, dried roses and baking chocolate. This is surprisingly juicy and lifted in feel, with zesty acidity motivating depths of ripe wild berry fruits as sweet spices collect toward the close. It finishes gently tannic, with a cranberry crunch that adds a lovely punctuation. (Eric Guido, Vinous, February 2024)
— 8 months ago
L'Arco
Valpolicella Ripasso Classico Superiore Corvina Blend 2020
The 2020 Valpolicella Classico Superiore Ripasso grumbles up from the glass with a smoky blend of crushed rocks, dried roses and crushed black cherries. This is velvety smooth yet lifted in feel, with waves of ripe red and black fruits offset by a bitter twang of balsamic spice. It finishes structured and long, leaving a sensation of liquid stone and licorice under an air of inner florals. The 2020 is a dark and savory Ripasso that's simply begging for the cellar. (Eric Guido, Vinous, February 2024)
— 8 months ago
Allegrini
Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Corvina Blend 2019
The 2019 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico is youthfully understated, requiring coaxing to reveal its depths of dried black cherries, mocha and cloves, all lifted by a hint of fresh mint. This impresses with its blend of sweet spices, opulent ripe wild berry fruits and silken textures, all balanced by brisk acidity and a pleasantly bitter tinge of dark chocolate toward the close. This finishes classically dry with dramatic length and potency, leaving a coating of fine-grained tannins that saturates, promising many years of positive evolution. Allegrini knocked this one out of the park. Wow. (Eric Guido, Vinous, February 2024)
— 8 months ago
Zenato
Riserva Sergio Zenato Amarone Classico Della Valpolicella Corvina Blend 2017
The 2017 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Riserva Sergio Zenato blossoms in the glass with a decadent bouquet that blends crushed violet candies, spiced blood orange and dried blueberries. This is silky smooth, nearly creamy in feel, with a dense wave of ripe red berry fruits contrasted by a bitter tinge of dark, dark chocolate. Despite its size (17% alcohol), a core of zesty acidity maintains amazing energy and freshness as the 2017 finishes dramatically long and intense, leaving a staining of tart wild berry fruit to linger. (Eric Guido, Vinous, February 2024)
— 8 months ago
Suavia
Monte Carbonare Soave Classico Garganega 2021
The 2021 Soave Classico Monte Carbonare is decidedly savory, displaying notes of crushed rocks and dried flowers that give way to white peach and hints of gingery spice. It sweeps across the palate with a silky, textural wave of liquid florals and ripe pit-fruits, riding along a core of vibrant acidity. Notions of candied lime and saline minerals linger through the long and youthfully tense finale as the 2021 leaves a confectionary air of spice. (Eric Guido, Vinous, February 2024)
— 8 months ago
Romano Dal Forno
Amarone della Valpolicella Corvina Blend 2010
The 2010 Amarone della Valpolicella is an elegant beauty, with cooling herbal tones and cloves embellishing baked cherries and hints of incense. This opens with a lovely inner sweetness, its ripe red and black fruits energized by vibrant acidity. Violet florals and suggestions of cocoa swirl throughout. The 2010 finishes long—still slightly tannic yet coming into its own, leaving a mentholated freshness and a tinge of cinnamon spice that lingers on. While this is made in the older style of Dal Forno, sporting just over six grams-per-liter of residual sugar, 17% alcohol and 100% American oak, the balance is absolutely perfect. (Eric Guido, Vinous, February 2024)
— 8 months ago
Vignalta
Marrano Veneto Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2015
The 2015 Marrano, an equal-parts blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, is a total pleasure on the nose, with a seductive mix of violets, mint and crushed blueberries and cherries. This is juicy in character, with racy acidity that enlivens its core of ripe wild berry fruits. Salty mineral tones and hints of balsamic spice saturate the palate. The 2015 tapers off with a pleasantly bitter tinge, leaving a resonance of dark chocolate and mentholated freshness. The Marrano is the value score from the Vignalta portfolio. Released late, it promises a more mature yet still wonderfully lively experience. (Eric Guido, Vinous, February 2024)
— 8 months ago
Azienda Agricola Musella
Valpolicella Ripasso Superiore Corvina Blend 2018
Remarkably fresh, the 2020 Valpolicella Superiore Ripasso bursts from the glass with a mix of crushed cherries of mint, giving way to a cascade of violet florals. This is silky smooth and round, with juicy acidity and depths of crisp wild berry fruits underscored by tactile mineral tones. The 2020 cleans up beautifully—long and crunchy, with a coating of fine tannins that nicely frame the experience as rosy inner florals slowly fade. The Ripasso spends two weeks resting on the lees of an Amarone fermentation, followed by one year in concrete and one year in large-format neutral oak. (Eric Guido, Vinous, February 2024)
— 8 months ago
Brigaldara
Case Vecie Amarone della Valpolicella Corvina Blend 2013
The 2013 Amarone della Valpolicella Case Vecie blossoms in the glass with a spicy blend of crushed cherries and blackberries, complemented by violet pastille and hints of sweet smoke. This is cool-toned and sleek with silky textures and admirable weight, yet all is kept perfectly in balance by a core of brisk acidity. Depths of tart wild berry fruit saturate while bitter dark chocolate and inner rose tones swirl throughout. The 2013 leaves the palate reeling with tension as crunchy tannins take hold and notes of licorice and orange slowly fade. This is built for the cellar and is slowly maturing in bottle. (Eric Guido, Vinous, February 2024)
— 8 months ago
Delectable Wine
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The 2018 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico opens with an herbal thrust that gives way to dried violets, lavender and crushed blackberries. It is sleek and racy in feel with lifted textures and tart wild berry fruits offset by zesty acidity. It tapers off long and staining, lifted by a bump of residual acidity as notes of red plum leave a pleasantly tart sensation. I quite like the energy here and expect that the 2018 will enjoy a broad and open drinking window. (Eric Guido, Vinous, February 2024)
— 8 months ago