Amarone della Valpolicella - Zanoni

Zanoni's Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG is a wine that brings a precise and deliberate stylistic choice to the glass — that of a producer who has chosen to interpret Amarone with a contemporary perspective without betraying its Veronese roots. Aging in French oak barriques, 100 days of drying, and the presence of Oseleta in the blend reveal a distinctive winemaking personality, capable of standing out in the often-homogenized landscape of the appellation.

Zanoni produces this Amarone in just 3000 bottles per year — a number that speaks volumes about the care and selection behind each bottle. The blend is refined and unusual: Corvina 45%, Corvinone 45% as the backbone of its structure and fruit, Rondinella 5% for aromatic freshness, and a precious 5% of Oseleta — the nearly extinct native grape variety of Valpolicella that adds an unmistakable tannic and mineral signature, the same grape that Garbole made famous with Heletto. The presence of Oseleta in an Amarone DOCG is a strong sign of territorial identity and winemaking courage.

The grapes are dried for 100 days in the drying room — ten days longer than the standard minimum — further concentrating sugars, polyphenols, and aromas naturally and progressively. Fermentation is slow and extended, and the wine is aged for 24 months in French oak barriques — a choice that gives it well-integrated spicy and vanilla notes, along with a roundness and silkiness to the tannins that distinguish it from Amarone aged in large traditional casks. This is followed by a further 24 months of bottle aging before release — a total of more than 4 years between wood and glass before the wine reaches the customer.

On the nose, it is elegant and modern: black cherry preserves, blackberry, dried plum, cocoa, delicate vanilla, cloves, Oriental tobacco, withered violet, and that subtle iron-like minerality that is Oseleta's unmistakable signature. On the palate, it is powerful yet silky — massive tannins smoothed by the barrique into an almost tactile texture, deep glyceric sweetness, surprising acidity for a wine of such concentration, and an exceptionally long, complex finish that continues to evolve for minutes. Serve at 18-20°C after decanting for at least 2 hours.