Italy

Amarone della Valpolicella

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Cork

Romano Dal Forno took control of his family’s 25ha in 1980, aged 22, quickly turning to Amarone maestro Giuseppe Quintarelli for advice and tutorship. Dal Forno focussed on a dramatic reduction of yields, replacing the oxidation-prone Molinara grape with the rare Oseleta, and set about introducing a system of manual sorting to remove less than perfect grapes. It takes nine vines to create one bottle of Dal Forno’s Amarone, with a drying period of three months leading to 15 days of fermentation in temperature-controlled steel tanks. Ageing takes place in new oak for 36 months, followed by another 24 months in bottle. It’s a blend of 60% Corvina, 20% Rondinella, 10% Croatina and 10% Oseleta.

Michael Garner: Exuberant, dense and chewy with peppery black fruit flavours, while showing some delicacy of aroma. Intense and will develop further, perhaps offering more power than grace.

Andrew Jefford: It's not showy on the nose but is super-attractive, and it just grows more so the more time you spend with it. On the palate it's rich, deep, magnificently tannic and long - an absolutely unbridled Amarone, yet at the same time of extraordinary resonance, authority and subtlety. An Amarone masterclass!

Monty Waldin: Its evident concentration really comes through on the palate, with a mix of smooth and slightly more savoury, drier tannins that mingle amicably under some ripely sweet red fruit, while finishing with a distinct brightness.

Corvina

Croatina

Rondinella

Romano Dal Forno, Monte Lodoletta, Amarone della Valpolicella, Veneto, Italy, 2012

Romano-Dal-Forno-Amarone-2012.jpg

Romano Dal Forno took control of his family’s 25ha in 1980, aged 22, quickly turning to Amarone maestro Giuseppe Quintarelli for

Romano Dal Forno, Monte Lodoletta, Amarone della Valpolicella 2012

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