▴ Monte Santoccio Amarone 2013
Monte Santoccio Amarone Della Valpolicella 2013
Amarone often finds itself in the “too difficult to match with food” category to find a regular place at the table. Normally, I serve Amarone with a hard cheese at the end of dinner, and let it show off its baroque, swirling deep flavours with little to distract us. This Amarone, however, would certainly move forward to take centre stage. It is made by Nicola Ferrari, who worked closely in the cellar with the legendary Giuseppe Quintarelli for 12 years. The grapes come from a small vineyard located in Purano, Valpolicella Classico, where there are some exceptionally old vines, possibly pre-phylloxera, where Nicola has been making massal selections (planting new vines from old cuttings). The Amarone is selected from one tonneaux that comes from this limestone terroir and the vines are 35 years old. It is an exceptional wine. The colour is translucent as a brilliant mature burgundy, while the palate shows a deeply generous core of damson plums and greengages, wonderfully fresh and enticing, with gentle tannins caressing the entire palate; it’s complex and harmonious – and enormously drinkable.
Price: £75 a bottle
UK stockist: Swig
Review June 2021, SK