2011 Cesari Amarone Della Valpolicella Classico

2011 Cesari Amarone Della Valpolicella Classico

2011 Cesari Amarone Della Valpolicella Classico Forest floor, dried dark-skinned fruit, cedar and smoky aromas come together in the glass. The firm, full-bodied palate delivers dried black cherry, baked plum, ground pepper and clove alongside solid but fine-grained tannins.

Valpolicella Blend

The Valpolicella Blend is based on three indigenous red-wine grape varieties grown in the Veneto region in Italy’s northeast. Corvina, Corvinone and Rondinella are the trio primarily involved in the Valpolicella DOC, although it could easily be argued that the production method is equally as important – the grape berries are semi-dried to make Amarone, possibly their most famous incarnation.

The exact proportions used are ultimately down to the winery, though Corvina plays the starring role (45 to 95 percent) in the various levels of Valpolicella red wine and is regarded as the blend’s lynchpin. Known more for its acidity and sour-cherry flavors than its depth, Corvina makes for lightly colored wine that sometimes resembles the Gamay variety of Beaujolais.

The Corvinone grape, long thought to be a clone of Corvina but now regarded as a distinct, distantly-related grape variety, is allowed to provide up to 50 percent of the wine, in subsitution for some of Corvina’s allowance.

Rondinella, used primarily to add color and body to the blend, offers some herbal notes and further accentuates the gentle spiciness of Corvina. It can account for up to 30 percent of the blend.

The other varieties permitted can combine to account for one quarter of the blend; no one grape can make up more than 10 percent of the total wine. Additional tannins and fresh acid are provided by Molinara, though it is the least regarded of the three main grapes and its use is on the decline.

Osaleta is an old Veronese grape variety which is experiencing a revival; it adds body, color and spicy aromas. Other possible red grapes include Rossignola (Gropello), Dindarella, Negrara Trentina, Barbera, Sangiovese. and Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc.

The Valpolicella Blend is most commonly used to produce dry table wine, but may also be used to make sweet, semi-sweet and even sparkling wines. The most famous variation of dry Valpolicella is Amarone, where the appassimento method of semi-drying grapes is used to craft rich, and often sweet, wines of great concentration. Corvina and Rondinella grapes are favored in this instance because of their thick skins – making them better suited to drying – and opulent texture. Winemakers have the choice of fermenting their Amarone wines as sweet (Recioto) or dry.