Quintarelli’s dry Amarone is crafted from a selection of their most flawless grapes, picked at the perfect moment, and then left to slowly dehydrate on special racks in a custom-built, ventilated loft above their home. The grapes slowly concentrate their flavors as the water in them evaporates naturally. They are pressed around Christmastime, and the wine is fermented largely dry, then left to age and refine for many years in large Slavonian oak casks. The resulting wine is the grandest expression of these Veronese hills, a full-bodied, kaleidoscopic wine, to be enjoyed with fine roasts and cheeses.
97 Points Vinous: The 2018 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico slowly evolves with a whimsical mix of dusty dried violets, cedar box, cardamom, stone dust and dried black cherries. It displays textures of pure silk, lifted and feminine in nature, as bright red berry fruits wash across the palate, leaving a tactile staining of minerals and sweet tannins. The 2018 shows incredible length and poise, leaving blue and purple inner florals over notes of licorice and clove through the lightly structured and completely harmonious finale. Bury this radiant beauty deep in the cellar.