Dal Forno Romano Valpolicella Superiore 2017

Details

The Dal Forno Family are legends of the Italy wine industry, producing wines that are regarded as some of the best in Veneto.

Romano Del Forno began making wine in 1983, over just 8 hectares of land, after he persuaded legendary winemaker Giuseppe Quintarelli to tutor him. He planted indigenous varieties of corvina, rondinella, croatina and oseleta and is now he and Giuseppe are considered the top two wine makers in Veneto. The winery was built in 1990 and resembles a 19th century farmhouse and villa.

The style of Dal Forno is best known for their opulence and often intense Amarone and Valpolicella, which utilises a process called appassimento where the grapes are dried before they undergo fermentation. The Valpolicella is dried for 1 and ½ months which gives it a distinct difference when compared to other traditional Valpolicella. The Amarone is dried for 3 months. For a single bottle of Valpolicella seven full vines are required, for Amarone it’s a whopping thirteen. After the drying process the wine is pressed and then fermented under temperature control. The wines then spend two years in French oak, followed by another 4 more years in bottle before release.

This wine is a blend of 70% corvina and corvina grossa, 20% rondinella, 5% croatina, and 5% oseleta.

"Pungent nose of violets, amarena cherries, dried figs and lightly charred oak. Some toffee notes emerge with air, together with more pressed flowers. Not so much full-bodied as full-flavored, with silky, fine and polished tannins. Very young and driven at the moment."
95 points, James Suckling.

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