This Week's Must-Try Wines from Vinous
Masi
Campolongo di Torbe Amarone della Valpolicella Corvina Blend 2011
The 2011 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Campolongo di Torbe holds your attention firm, with a deeply alluring bouquet of rum-soaked raisins, cinnamon, cherry liquor, minty herbs and a dusting of cocoa. It’s silky in texture and more feminine and lifted than expected, with a tart display of red and black fruits further complicated by notes of bitter coffee and dark, dark chocolate. The balance here is on point, as the 2011 comes across as more savory and sweet, and tapers off to notes of blackberry, sour citrus and inner rose tones. While you can enjoy this today, the Campolongo di Torbe will benefit from another five to ten years of cellaring.(Eric Guido, Vinous, February 2021)
— 4 years ago
Cantine Buglioni
Il Bugiardo Ripasso Valpolicella Classico Superiore 2017
The 2017 Valpolicella Classico Superiore Ripasso Il Bugiardo displays an inviting mix of blackberries, sage, roses, chalk dust and hints of camphor. This is full-bodied with depths of silky textures and a dense core of dark fruits and minerals that are not quite ready to reveal all of their charms. The 2017 has a bit of a monolithic feel today, yet it’s also perfectly balanced, with a structure that can carry it for many years in the cellar – which would be advisable to allow it to unwind a bit. (Eric Guido, Vinous, February 2021)
— 4 years ago
Zenato
Ripassa Valpolicella Ripasso Superiore Corvina Blend 2016
Black raspberries, sweet violets, tobacco and hints of licorice form a dazzling bouquet on the 2016 Valpolicella Superiore Ripassa. This is silky-smooth with a dark fruit persona that’s beautifully lifted by salty acids and minerals, which create a juicy expression. It’s persistent and balanced, leaving the palate aching for more, as hints of nuanced tannins and tart wild berries create a slightly grippy finale. What a beautiful wine and - dare I use the term? - “Baby Amarone.” (Eric Guido, Vinous, February 2021)
— 4 years ago
Ottella
Le Creete Lugana Trebbiano 2019
The single-vineyard 2019 Lugana Le Creete is an understated and feminine beauty, blending subtle hints of candied citrus with wild herbs, nectarine and flowery undergrowth. It’s silky, almost oily in texture, contrasted by brisk acids and lime-infused orchard fruits. This tapers off cheek-puckering, tart and almost salty, yet it leaves a lasting, almost tropical impression that I find quite pleasurable. (Eric Guido, Vinous, February 2021)
— 4 years ago
Farina
Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Corvina Blend 2017
The 2017 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico opens up with an inviting yet somewhat understated mix of peppery florals, cherry liquor, plums and sage. Here I’m finding silky textures offset by tart wild berry fruits, salty minerals and brisk acids in an expression that is much more savory than sweet. A coating of fine tannins lingers, along with a note of baker’s chocolate. I have to give Farina credit for creating such a versatile and balanced expression of Amarone. (Eric Guido, Vinous, February 2021)
— 4 years ago
Brigaldara
Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Corvina Blend 2015
The 2015 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico is perfumed and amazingly fresh, showing bright cherry complemented by autumnal spice and dusty rose. It’s on the palate where the warmth of the vintage comes through, with waves of creamy, glycerol-like textures ushering in ripe balsamic-tinged blackberries, contrasted by peppery herbs and bitter dark chocolate. A thick coating of berry concentrate and fine tannins persists throughout the long finale, yet balance is maintained. This needs some time to soften, but it should be amazing in a few years’ time. (Eric Guido, Vinous, February 2021)
— 4 years ago
Tommaso Bussola
Ca' del Laito Valpolicella Ripasso Superiore Corvina Blend 2016
The 2016 Valpolicella Classico Superiore Ripasso Ca'del Laito boasts a seductive and perfumed bouquet, with notes of brown spice and tobacco blossoming further to show raspberry coulis and a lifting hint of fresh mint. This is quite savory, with silky textures ushering in cool-toned red and black berries and inner herbal tones. Sweet tannins come forward through the long finale, balanced by a concentration of primary fruits, promising years of positive evolution in the cellar. The Ca'del Laito is matured in a combination of 50% third-pass tonneaux and 50% large, 25-hectoliter barrels for 23 months. There’s beautiful symmetry in this gorgeous Ripasso, but don’t expect it to perform like a baby Amarone. (Eric Guido, Vinous, February 2021)
— 4 years ago
Gini
La Froscà Soave Classico Garganega 2016
The 2016 Soave Classico La Froscà is rich and alluring with notes of dried peach, sweet white flowers and honeyed almonds. It displays wonderful clarity and poise while stimulating the senses with bright acids and minerals before settling on ripe orchard fruits. A twang of sour citrus and apricot resonates throughout the long and almost salty finish. I tasted the 2016 over the course of two days and it only got better each time I revisited it. The La Froscà matures in a combination of 80% steel tanks and 20% barriques, yet there’s not a hint of wood here. (Eric Guido, Vinous February 2021)
— 4 years ago
Famiglia Pasqua
Amarone della Valpolicella Corvina Blend 2015
The 2015 Amarone della Valpolicella balances savory and sweet to create a beautiful display of contrasts. Black cherries, sage, dried citrus, hints of vanilla and animal musk create a beguiling display. The textures are creamy and enveloping, offset by mineral-laden blue and black berries, followed by a note of bitter herbs and mocha. For all its power, the 2015 maintains a fresh and lifted feel, finishing long with a coating of round tannins and hints of spice.(Eric Guido, Vinous, February 2021)
— 4 years ago
Delectable Wine
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Dark, floral, elegant and surprisingly savory, the 2015 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico makes itself known as crushed stone gives way to a dusting of confectioner’s sugar, dried flowers, black cherries, plums and hints of licorice. This is velvety yet cool-toned and spry, with a staining mix of red and black fruits contrasted by sweet spices, as bitter hints of espresso bean and round tannins collect toward the close. A twang of balsamic-tinged blackberry and violets echoes through the long-drawn-out finale. Youthfully structured and still a bit reserved, but there are layers of primary complexities to keep the experience highly enjoyable today. That said, the best is yet to come. (Eric Guido, Vinous, February 2021)
— 4 years ago