Amarone della Valpolicella DOC 2008 - Dal Forno Romano

AMARONE DELLA VALPOLICELLA DOC 2008 - DAL FORNO ROMANO

The final product is a real masterpiece of elegance.At sight it shows a deep ruby ​​red color, the nose feels an intense aroma of licorice and cocoa that blends with the ripe fruity notes of plums and cherries. In the mouth it is enveloping, intensely aromatic, soft and with strong tannins.

Amarone differs from Valpolicella for two simple reasons.

The first concerns the duration of the drying period, which in this case lasts for three long months, instead of one and a half.

The second, on the other hand, alludes to the age of the vine. Our company philosophy in fact provides that, to produce Amarone, only the grapes harvested from vines over ten years old must be used. The younger vines are then used only for the production of Valpolicella.

Except for these two differences and some other small variations on the percentage of varieties used, it can be said that these two wines are almost identical, in the sense that the process underlying their production and aging is exactly the same.

That said, Amarone stands out from its younger brother in terms of power and elegance.

Complex aromatic notes, ranging from black cherries, to blueberries, to chocolate, foreshadow that sumptuous expression of ripe fruit that flows in the mouth with intrusive persistence. The finish closes with sinuous nuances of truffle, tobacco and new leather.

SOIL: Of alluvial origin, composed of 70% gravel, 15% silt and 15% clay.

HARVEST PERIOD: From 20 September to 25 October, after selecting the best bunches, on which we perform a meticulous manual selection in order to remove all the less valuable grapes. The grapes thus harvested are placed in plastic trays and left to rest for three months in large open rooms, where an innovative ventilation system allows to maintain a high and very capillary air flow.

GRAPES: 60% Corvina, 20% Rondinella, 10% Oseleta, 10% Croatina. The grapes destined for Amarone come exclusively from vineyards that have exceeded a minimum age of 10 years.

CRUSHING: On average it starts around mid-December, after having carried out a further manual sorting of each bunch, in order to remove all the grains that have spoiled during the months of drying.

FERMENTATION: In steel tanks at a controlled temperature (about 28 degrees), equipped with a sophisticated computerized system that allows automatic punching down for a period of about fifteen days, including the final maceration of two days.

AGING: After decanting, in mid-January, the Amarone, which still has a residual sugar with it, is placed in new barriques, where it resumes a very slow fermentation activity that continues for a further eighteen months. The total rest in barriques however lasts 36 months.

BOTTLING: Final phase of the production process, which takes place after completing the assembly of the various barriques and the filtration of the mass thus obtained. A further refinement of 24 months in the bottle then precedes the marketing of the finished product.

AWARDS: James Suckling 97/100 
                 Wine Spectator 94/100