Bertani Amarone della Valpolicella Classico 2015

#1 WINE OF THE YEAR 2024 FROM JAMES SUCKLING

Bertani has been making wines in Verona for 150 years and is considered to be a premier producer of classic Amarone wines. Typically made of 70% Corvina, 25% Rondinella and 5% Molinara grapes, the region's indigenous grapes, Bertani Amarone is rich and savory. Look for generous aromas of freshly picked cherries mingled with notes of dried cherries, macerated plums, vanilla and hints of spice. Dry, full bodied and amply structured. Cherries, red berries and a hint of vanilla lead into a dazzling finish that recalls walnuts and hazelnuts.       

Chosen as a Top Amarone Estate by Forbes.com : 'Bertani - If you could only use one word to describe the production of Amarone at Bertani, that word would be tradition. First produced in 1958, the Bertani Amarone from the Classica district is one of the icons of this area; rich on the palate with supple tannins and complex spice, this has always been one of the longest-lived examples of Amarone; I tasted the 1968 on visit to the winery in 2012 and was amazed at the wine’s freshness. Originally the wine was aged in very large casks of more than 100 hectoliters for twelve years! Today the wine is matured in 60-hectoliter Slavonian oak casks for seven years, much longer than the minimum requirement. If you are seeking what class and breeding are with Amarone, look no further than Bertani.'