Amarone della Valpolicella is a style of wine making in the Valpolicella viticultural region in the Italian province of Verona. Amarone wines are made from a blend of Corvina, Rondinella, Molinara and Versonese grapes that are placed in open crates to dry for a number of months in a process called
appassimento. From its inception in 1936, the
Cesari winery under founder Gerardo Cesari has been producing Amarone wines with the
Cesari Amarone della Valpolicella Classico 2012 ($40) the latest release. The winery utilizes Corvina, Rondinella, and Molinara grapes that are sun dried for four months then fermented very slowly on their skins. The wine then undergoes an extensive aging regime, a mixture of French oak barriques and large Slavonian oak barrels for one year, then blended and aged 18 additional months. Once bottled, the wine rests for eight months before release. Amarone wines are considered very age-able and when I first opened the wine was very tight, a restricted aroma and soft flavor. I lightly corked the bottle and opened the next evening and the wine had transformed into a beauty. Dark fruit and spice on the nose, more dark fruit and chocolate melting through a soft mid-palate, and finishing very smooth with a slight spicy character. With patience, nicely done.
