2012 Fratelli Speri Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Vigneto Monte Sant’Urbano, Italy, Veneto, Wine Review

Purple in color, ruby at the rim. The nose has cherries, slight prunes, slight raisin along with some anise and roasted herbs. Full bodied. On the palate, this is ever so slightly sweet with cherries, dried cherries and slight prune. Medium tannins. Nice depth with layers of complexity. Good acidity. Long finish. Should work with medium and heavier dishes very well, probably not so much with spicy foods. Seems to be closing in on peak but should certainly have another 7 to ten years left.

Grade:

A-

Score:

Vintage:

2012

Current Price:

$65.00USD

2003 Tedeschi Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Capitel Monte Olmi, Italy, Veneto, Wine Review

Vintage:

2003

Score:

Grade:

A-

Purple in color, slightly flat. The nose has black cherries, cinnamon, and spice. On the palate, sweet black cherries and sweet black raspberries. Tasty but slightly jammy. Some depth. Not a lot of acidity. Drinking quite well. When the vintage was revealed, it made sense that it was the hot 2003 vintage. No hurry on this though.

2006 Romano Dal Forno Valpolicella Superiore Vigneto di Monte Lodoletta, Italy, Veneto, Wine Review

Vintage:

2006

Score:

Grade:

Current Price:

$210.00USD

From one of the top producers in the Veneto (and most expensive), this Valpolicella drinks like a very good Amarone. Purple in color, ruby at the rim, mostly opaque and bright. The nose has raisins, cherries, tar, graphite, and anise. Full bodied. Medium tannins. Enough acidity. This wine is dry but very high alcohol. The palate shows the alcohol but plenty of cherries and prunes along with some underlying tar/asphalt. Long finish. At age 17, this is a big, high alcohol wine which may be off putting to some and wonderful to others. It is great on its own but would work better with

2009 Tommaso Bussola Amarone della Valpolicella Classico, Italy, Veneto, Wine Review

Vintage:

2009

Score:

Grade:

Bussola is one of the top three producers of Amarone. What separates him from the other two is pricing. Bussola's wines are affordable. This is his base wine and it retails for around $50. That is not inexpensive, but it is worth it. One caveat, to really get the full bang for your buck, let them age for a while. This one is still not yet at peak but showing quite well especially with a bit of air. Purple in color with some ruby swirls. On the nose this has cherries, black cherries, tobacco, dried currants, slight sandalwood and prune. Very deep. On the palate, this is dry but fee

2008 Igino Accordini Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Le Bessole, Italy, Veneto, Valpolicella,Wine Review

Vintage:

2008

Score:

Grade:

A-

Purple in color, ruby at the rim. The nose has cherries and spice. With air some chocolate and slight craisin notes. On the palate, this is ripe but not sweet. Cherries and slight coffee notes. Wide but not deep. It is drinking well now but will certainly go for a while longer. Seemed to be quite popular with those trying it. It will work better with food but is nice on its own too. Perhaps braised lamb?

1997 Tommaso Bussola Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Tb, Italy, Veneto, Wine Review

Vintage:

1997

Score:

Grade:

A+

Current Price:

$180.00USD

Bussola is one of the top producers in Amarone and the top producer I can still afford (after Quintarelli and Dal Forno). This was an older bottle that was just singing. It had been stood up for a week and then decanted just prior to serving. It continued to open up for the next couple of hours. Really a gorgeous wine. Purple in color with ruby swirls. The nose is great. Dusty at first, that gave way to slight craisins, cherries with some underlying smoke and even a bit of dried flowers. With more air, a chocolate/caramel note comes out; almost sweet. On the palate, this is still l

2012 Fratelli Speri Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Vigneto Monte Sant’Urbano, Italy, Veneto, Wine Review

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