The Monte del Frá 2013 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Lena di Mezzo (a blend of Corvina, Corvinone and Rondinella) undergoes a long appassimento process, lasting anywhere from three to four months, depending on the conditions of the vintage. Hot vintages tend to be followed by slightly shorter dehydration times. This is a very sharp and buttoned up expression that shows a crisper and tighter personality than its peers. The grapes are fermented cold, and malolactic fermentation is in stainless steel, thus the intensity of those dried berry aromas is maintained well throughout the process. This is a full-bodied Amarone that has the inner elegance to pair with a white meat such as roasted pork with crunchy pork skins. Some 60,000 bottles were released.

The 2010 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Lena di Mezzo is a rich and darkly extracted wine loaded tight with dark fruit, cola, tar and resin-like aromas. It stays true to the aromatic characteristics that are generally attributed to appassimento, or wines made from air-dried fruit. Soft tannins and sweet fruit flavors wrap around the palate. This vintage is best consumed three to five years from now.

The 2008 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Lena di Mezzo opens to inky, black consistency and chewy flavors of ripe fruit, prune, spice cake and candied plum. The wine feels exceedingly plump and soft in the mouth. What it lacks in complexity, it makes up for in terms of consistency and length of mouthfeel. The long finish is smooth and velvet-like. Drink 2015-2022. Importer: Votto Vines Importing, www.vottovines.com