Dal Forno Romano Vigna Sere Veneto Passito Rosso 2004 (375ml)

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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.

The extraordinary 2004 Dal Forno Romano Passito Vigna Seré, the jewel in the crown of this iconic winery, and a legendary wine that embodies the essence of traditional Italian winemaking. Exuding intensity, elegance and refinement, with a deep, ruby-red colour that is simply mesmerising.

Produced in very limited amounts and on very rare occasions - indeed, 2004 is the current release! Vigna Seré possesses immense opulence and density, with preeminent hints of plum, black cherry, raspberry, chocolate and coffee. A good level of sharp acidity supports the sweet, refined tannins.

The wine is a blend of 55% corvina, 15% rondinella, 20% croatina and 10% oseleta. It's 14% alcohol.

"The 2004 Passito Rosso Vino Dolce Vigna Seré is a masterpiece that is impossible to repeat. In fact, the wine has not been produced since 2004. Even if a vintage as good as this did come along, we'd need to wait another 13 years before we could enjoy this level of maturity and evolution. Formally a Recioto della Valpolicella, this sweet red wine is made with air-dried fruit as local tradition dictates. Luckily no botrytis set in that year, because that would have eroded the wine's deep and luscious color saturation. The bouquet delivers a generous flow of dark spice, bitter chocolate, espresso, raisin, plum, barbecue spice and teriyaki smoke. The concentration and layering of the wine are both rare and distinctive. The mouthfeel sees sweet flavors with a syrupy mouthfeel. The finish offers hints of caramelized brown sugar and savory hickory. The aging window is impossible to predict, but the wine is surely built to last. I can think of no other wine that comes close to matching this unique style."
99 points, Monica Larner, The Wine Advocate (5/2017).

"This is a profound sweet red wine that will probably live forever. The superb floral nose features violet lift, with a macerated cherry character in the mouth which heralds plum, crushed berries and sweet spice. This is so well balanced it's almost savoury in nature, the clean line of acidity sweeping away all before it. There's some creaminess on the finish, reminding you of its startling youth."
98 points, Decanter (3/2018).

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