A blend of 65% Corvina, 15% Corvinone, 10% Rondinella and 10% other mixed grapes, this hot-vintage expression brings forth inky black fruit and bold aromas of dried plum, raisin box, spice, Spanish cedar and mesquite. The grapes dry over a period of anywhere from four to five months in specially ventilated rooms (fruttaia), thus concentrating the flavors, sweetness and appearance of the wine. At the end of the air-drying stage, in the middle of winter, the crush starts and the dried grapes ferment in oak with ambient yeasts. The wine then ages in wood for 36 months. The fruit here comes from a 12-hectare vineyard site between the Val d'Alpone and Val d'Illasi, whose soils comprise alternating layers of shaley clay and limestone. There is no volcanic soil here. The hot growing season makes itself known in the 2011 Amarone della Valpolicella in the form of soft and jammy notes here and there. This Amarone calls for a hearty veal stew. Some 5,000 bottles were made.

Here is a balanced and powerful wine from Northeast Italy. The 2010 Amarone della Valpolicella is not an overtly fruity or jammy expression. In this regard it stands apart from its peers. Instead, this Amarone offers a drying mineral vein with flint and crushed granite beyond softer tones of dried cherry, blackberry preserves and exotic spice. The finish is off dry with some distant residual sugar. Barbecue smoke and ash appear on the close. Only 5,000 bottles were made.

An elegant version, creamy and well-knit, with fine-grained tannins and juicy acidity married to the steeped cherry, fragrant brown bread, soft raisin and espresso notes. Offers a lightly spiced, chewy finish. Drink now through 2025. 200 cases made, 30 cases imported.??–AN??Region: Italy / Amarone della Valpolicella Select to Add

The 2009 Amarone della Valpolicella is loaded with sweet spice, rum cake, dried prune, cassis and balsam notes of licorice and dried mint. The grapes are left to dry for four months in a gently ventilated room. Fruit is harvested in the Bastia area, between the Val d'Alene and the Val d'Illasi. The wine offers thick concentration that is not over the top. It promises another 48 months of slow bottle evolution.

Lightly creamy, this balanced version offers base notes of smoke and spice box, with accents of dried cherry and cranberry, rhubarb, grilled plum and licorice. Drink now through 2019. 100 cases made.??–AN??Region: Italy / Amarone della Valpolicella Select to Add