Amarone della Valpolicella - Zanoni

The Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG by Zanoni is a wine that brings to the glass a precise and conscious stylistic choice — that of a producer who has chosen to interpret Amarone with a contemporary eye without betraying its Veronese roots. The ageing in French oak barriques, the 100 days of appassimento and the presence of Oseleta in the blend tell of a distinct production personality, capable of standing out in the often homogenised landscape of the appellation.

Zanoni produces this Amarone in just 3,000 bottles per year — a number that speaks volumes about the care and selection behind every bottle. The blend is refined and unusual: Corvina 45%, Corvinone 45% as the backbone of structure and fruit, Rondinella 5% for aromatic freshness and a precious 5% of Oseleta — the nearly extinct indigenous Valpolicella variety that adds an unmistakable tannic and mineral signature, the same grape that Garbole has made famous with the Heletto. The presence of Oseleta in an Amarone DOCG is a strong signal of territorial identity and production courage.

The grapes are dried for 100 days in the fruttaio — ten days more than the standard minimum — further concentrating sugars, polyphenols and aromas naturally and progressively. Fermentation is slow and prolonged, and ageing takes place for 24 months in French oak barriques — a choice that imparts well-integrated spiced and vanilla notes, a roundness and silkiness of tannins that distinguishes it from Amarones aged in traditional large barrels. This is followed by a further 24 months of bottle ageing before release — a total of over four years between wood and glass before the wine reaches the customer.

The 2016 vintage was one of the finest in the Valpolicella of the decade — a warm and dry summer with cool nocturnal temperature swings that preserved the natural acidity of the grapes, producing a balance between concentration and freshness that is difficult to achieve. A vintage worth cellaring.

On the nose it is elegant and modern: black cherry jam, blackberry, dried plum, cacao, delicate vanilla, cloves, oriental tobacco, dried violet and that subtle ferrous minerality that is the unmistakable signature of the Oseleta. On the palate it is powerful yet silky — massive tannins that the barrique has polished into an almost tactile texture, a deep glyceric sweetness, a surprising fresh acidity for a wine of this concentration and an exceptionally long and complex finish that evolves for minutes. Serve at 18-20°C with at least 2 hours of decanting.