My Store: New Jersey (change store) 888-686-6673
First, this is a wine of terroir; from a single site that the late Gianni Piccoli called “the best vineyard in Valpolicella.” Only the least compact clusters of the best grapes are selected for drying on cane racks, where they lose almost half their weight before they are fermented in early February (just in case you wondered why Amarone is so expensive). After a very slow fermentation (the cellar is cold in February!), 10% of the wine goes into 225-liter barriques, and the rest into 3000-liter oak botti, where it matures for three full years before bottling. In the glass, this Amarone has a saturated dark garnet color, warming to bright mahogany just at the edge. Toasted marcona almonds, dried amarena cherries, spiced raisins, and red Virginia tobacco move in and out of the background, adding ripe pomegranate, crystallized honey, dried rose petals, and eucalyptus as the nose evolves in the glass. On the palate, the wine is supple, complex, and layered, with a pure sweet core of mouth filling, dried red and black fruit flavors that echo the nose; everything seasoned with allspice berries, cardamom, and mace, and framed by smooth round tannins. The limestone minerality and fresh fruit acidity carry the flavors through a long clean finish. Drink now – 2035. About this wine producer: Ca’ La Bionda was founded in 1902 by Pietro Castellani, Alessandro’s great grandfather, who was a passionate grape grower and winemaker. The east facing hillside vineyards extend over 29 hectares in the commune of Marano di Valpolicella, northwest of Verona, in the heart of the Valpolicella Classico zone. Only traditional varieties, including Corvina Veronese, Corvinone, and Rondinella are grown (there are no international varieties), and the farming is entirely organic. Particular attention and care are given to the delicate process of drying the grapes for the production of the Amarone and the sweet Reciotto.
$69.00