The 2018 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico shows a tapered and traditional side with dark fruit, dried plum, grilled herb, dark licorice and tarry tones of smoke or road paving. The wine is bold and powerful for sure (with a determined 16.5% alcohol content) followed by a mouthfeel that actually feels more streamlined in this vintage. This production of 18,000 bottles is a blend of 65% Corvina, 30% Rondinella and 5% other indigenous grapes planted on limestone soils.

The Begali Lorenzo 2017 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico is a beautiful wine that shows ample ripeness, with balance. It shows elegant restraint, but it is also exuberant and fully loaded. Its opulent character is very much in line with the hot vintage and the basic promise of Amarone that always prioritizes big intensity and lots of brooding fruit. This estate opts for more Rondinella in the blend, clocking in at about 35%, with 60% Corvina and 5% other complementary grapes. Rondinella adds much of the darkness and the extra concentration you see here. It is aged in French tonneaux and botte for three years. The Lorenzo Begali house style offers oak contours and renderings with extra softness and textural density. Production is 18,000 bottles.

From pergola-trained overhead vines, the 2010 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico exhibits inner harmony and grace. Like all Amarone, the bouquet and the mouthfeel are rich and powerful. But Begali's wines never feel too heavy, chewy or thick. There's a characteristic point of sweetness in the mouth followed by long flavors of smoke, ripe fruit, tobacco and grilled herbs.

The stunning 2009 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico is a charmer and a true protagonist of the vintage. The wine delivers everything you should expect from Amarone, but it executes that promise with the utmost elegance and finesse. This is an outstanding effort. Dark prune and plum cake open the bouquet and slowly progress to dried herb, licorice, espresso bean and Indian spice. The mouthfeel is super-smooth and velvety with a long-lasting and beautifully polished close. It looks and tastes like Amarone, but this wine carefully refrains from the overt sweetness and chewiness of the others. It’s simply beautiful. Drink 2015-2028. If you can name but two producers in Valpolicella (I’m betting they are Dal Forno and Quintarelli), it’s now time to add a third: Lorenzo Begali. Lorenzo and his children Giordano and Tiliana make the most exciting wines in the region today. These are inaugural reviews (Begali has never been reviewed by The Wine Advocate). Visiting this small estate, tall and lanky Giordano will win you over with his impassioned dedication to the traditional Pergola Veronese growing system. He and his father believe that overhead trellising is the secret to making quality wine and controlling yields. Having now tasted this beautiful collection of new releases, I am a true Begal-iever. Importers: Siema Llc., www.siemawines.com; Vignaioli Imports, www.vignaioliamerica.com; Un Po Pazzo, www.unpopazzo.com