Zenato 2001 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico
Made from 80% Corvina, 10% Rondinella and 10% Sangiovese.
I have been searching for 2 years on and off to locate an amarone that reminds me of a bottle I shared with my father at an oceanside Italian bistro a few years ago on a late night drive back from a day of fun in The City, San Francisco. This bottle for which the name is eternally lost dripped with flavors of a box of moist raisins. So many just haven't lived up to that experience that I've come to demand from outstanding amarone.
Zenato's '01 Amarone really nailed it! Deep, rich dried raisins baking in the sun with just enough sweetness left to avoid being overcooked. Slight smokiness as well. Still a bit rough on the edges, this bottle needs a couple of years to integrate it's parts, but the nose and long palate hint of a fine amarone to come. At $55 my purchasing is limited to just a few bottles but with no other strong horses in the field, at least in my neck of the woods, it's a no-brainer. B++.
Ardeis in Seminole