Amarone della Valpolicella – 2017

Cà dei Frati – Amarone della Valpolicella – Pietro dal Cero

The Cà dei Frati Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG 2017 is an exceptional, powerful red wine from the Italian wine region of Veneto. With this red cuvée, the Dal Cero family impressively demonstrates that they can also produce outstanding red wines full of power and depth.

In fact, the Amarone della Valpolicella, which bears the name of the father Pietro dal Cero, is the pride of the family, alongside the iconic wine Il Lugana. Only a few years ago, the dal Cero family bought the Vigneto di Luxium parcel in the homeland of their great-grandfather in Valpolicella, east of Verona, to make this special Amarone from the indigenous varieties Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella, and Croatina.

In 2008, after a decade of intensive preparatory work, the first vintage of Ca dei Frati Amarone was presented. Already the second vintage received high ratings in Italian wine guides. The siblings Gian Franco, Igino, and Anna Maria now cultivate 12 hectares of vineyards in Pian di Castagnè.

In the glass, the Pietro dal Cero shines in a rich ruby red with black-red reflections. On the nose, the spicy Cà dei Frati Amarone della Valpolicella 2017 shows a rich bouquet of raisined, red and black fruits, such as sour cherries, blackberry jam or wild blueberry compote. Balsamic notes, tobacco and roasted coffee beans, well-integrated notes from barrel aging, and a refreshing mint note are also present. On the palate, pickled sour cherries meet dried plums and berry compote, as well as dark chocolate and spicy star anise. The Cà dei Frati red wine is complex, concentrated, with invigorating acidity and silky smooth tannins.

As a food companion, the Cà dei Frati Amarone della Valpolicella 2017 harmonizes very well with dark meat, both grilled steaks, such as Bistecca di Fassone, and Ossobuco, the traditional Italian stew, but also with stews and braised game dishes, such as wild boar goulash or venison roast, and with aged cheese, it is a good choice.

Amarone – Pietro dal Cero

Even though the Ca dei Frati winery is located very close to Lake Garda, the grapes for the Amarone come from another wine region of Italy: from Valpolicella. This wine region adjoins the eastern shore of Lake Garda. The selected parcel Vigneto di Luxium in Pian di Castigné with limestone soils with rubble and clay are ideal for the native grape varieties Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella, and Croatina.

The special feature of the production of the most prestigious Amarone Valpolicella DOCG, which is valued all over the world, is that it is made from dried grapes. After harvesting, these are dried for about 100-120 days on wooden racks in well-ventilated attics, with the grapes being turned several times. During this Appassimento period, the grapes lose one third to half of their weight and the valuable substances, such as sugar and polyphenols, concentrate. After this elaborate process, the raisins are slowly fermented and vinified in the cool winter season. The aging takes place first for 24 months in large wooden barrels with malolactic fermentation (biological deacidification), then 12 months in stainless steel tanks and another 24 months in the bottle. It is a heavy wine that has a great richness of aromas. It owes its name to slight bitter notes, because in Italian, bitter means Amaro.

Amarone is considered one of Italy's great red wines. In its youth, the Cà dei Frati Amarone della Valpolicella 2017 presents itself as powerful yet soft and still characterized by wood. With age, the extract-rich red wine develops complexity and elegance.

A red wine and its values

• Grape varieties Corvina, Corvinone, Croatina and Rondinella
• 16% vol alcohol
• 7.4g/l acidity
• 11.1g/l residual sugar