Amarone Classico Riserva Quintarelli 2011

Giuseppe Quintarelli's Amarone della Valpolicella Classico is an iconic bottle that ranks among the elite of Italian red wines by virtue of its astonishing ability to combine power and elegance. We are in the municipality of Negrar, within the Valpolicella Classico zone, whose success today is largely attributable to the Quintarelli family. The winery only produces Amarone in the best vintages, and this label is a monument to Veronese tradition.
Giuseppe Quintarelli Amarone della Valpolicella Classico consists of a blend of Corvina Veronese (55%), Rondinella (25%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (15%), to which is added 5% of Nebbiolo, Croatina and Sangiovese grapes, varieties cultivated on soils rich in limestone and basalt. Manual harvesting is accompanied by a strict selection of the bunches of grapes, which are then transferred to the drying loft where the long drying phase takes place, during which the berries dehydrate and noble rot develops. Once the drying process is over, the grapes are softly pressed and the must thus obtained undergoes spontaneous alcoholic fermentation, with about three weeks of maceration on the skins. The entire fermentation phase lasts 45 days and the mass is then decanted for the very long ageing process of 7 years in large Slavonian oak casks.
Amarone della Valpolicella Classico from the historic Giuseppe Quintarelli winery has a very intense and consistent ruby red colour. Heady aromas of liquorice, cocoa, vanilla and cinnamon emerge from the glass, blending with fruity hints of ripe cherries and plums. Taste development is full, intense and structured, with enveloping warmth well balanced by the fresh-savoury verve and ripe tannins. The epilogue shows great elegance and remarkable persistence.