Time is central to the story of Tommasi’s award-winning Amarone Riserva, De Buris. There are the months the grapes spend drying after harvest; the years the wine spends ageing in oak and bottle; and the decades the Tommasi family has spent caring for its vineyards in the Valpolicella Classica subzone. Yet the story of De Buris goes back even further.
Some 170 million years ago, shifting tectonic plates forged the layers of rock that would be shaped by glaciers and the Adige River to form the area’s complex soils. Today, a patchwork of clay, silt, sand and gravel underpins Tommasi’s La Groletta vineyard, the source of the grapes for De Buris. Perched 250m up the hillside overlooking Lake Garda and sheltered by the Lessini mountains, it is the ideal site for exceptional Amarone.
A wine worth the wait
First, grapes from selected parcels within this vineyard (under 2ha) undergo 110 days of appassimento, drying and concentrating their flavours. The wine then spends five years ageing in large Slavonian oak casks, followed by a further period of maturation in bottle.
The resulting wine explodes with personality. The ruby red of the 2011 vintage De Buris Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Riserva DOCG reveals hints of garnet. On the nose, black cherry, plum and bitter almond are joined by tobacco, liquorice, cocoa and spices. There’s warmth, power and balance on the palate, cascading through to a long, refined finish.
The gift of time
Since Giacomo Tommasi bought his first Valpolicella Classica vineyard in 1902, four generations of his family have been its custodians. Today, De Buris is a fitting tribute to the Tommasi family’s many years of work.
Yet their commitment to these lands goes beyond winemaking: the family also maintains Villa De Buris, whose origins date back to Roman times. By preserving the villa’s history and art, Tommasi seeks to celebrate 2,000 years of Valpolicella heritage – countless generations of farmers, winemakers and artisans. And sipping a glass of De Buris in tribute is time well spent.
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