Romano Dal Forno "Amarone della Valpolicella" 2015

"This is black as pitch in the glass and, yes, there’s a light, tarry edge to the super-concentrated prune, date and currant fruit. But even more interesting are the complex notes of bitter-orange liqueur, aged balsamic, fresh roasting herbs, cinnamon, roasted chestnuts, black tea and licorice. The more you decant in advance, the more nuances will emerge. It’s full-boded with huge concentration and lots of chewy tannin that is managing to hold the fruit back for now. This needs plenty of time to develop in the bottle. Just superb. One of the greatest Dal Forno’s ever."

"The ultimate statement wine from northern Italy is the 2015 Amarone della Valpolicella Monte Lodoletta. The Dal Forno family skipped over the 2014 vintage, and this sunny vintage is worth the wait. Monte Lodoletta is always incredibly high in terms of fruit weight and tannins, but this edition from 2015 appears more integrated in terms of concentration and softer in terms of structure; it's not that the wine is more accessible. It will hold the line for years and decades to come and promises to age gracefully. This vintage is instead more fleshed out and open-knit. The bouquet peels back with thick layers of black fruit, spice, campfire embers and toasted coffee bean. It's an expensive bottle for collectors, but you get lots of bang for your buck."

"The 2010 Amarone della Valpolicella from Dal Forno is a truly majestic wine and may ultimately be one of the most successful wines to ever come from this iconic estate in Val D’Illasi. When it comes to Amarone, Dal Forno is a benchmark, using traditional methods in the vineyard, and modern techniques in the cellar to achieve the highest quality. Dal Forno only selects the finest bunches, in this vintage the Amarone includes 60% Corvina, 20% Rondinella, 10% Croatina, 10% Oseleta. The selected grapes are then placed in plastic plateaux and are then left to rest for 90 days in large open rooms, where an innovative ventilation system helps maintain an elevated and thorough air flow. The fruit, which still contains some residual sugar, is then placed into new barriques, where it begins a slow fermentation process, which will last for a further 18 months. The total amount of time that it remains in the barriques is 36 months. The end result is an absolutely stunning wine, which flirts with the limits of perfection as it displays a pitch dark color and offers seductive and incredibly complex aromatics of black cherries, blackberries, ripe mission figs, black winter truffles, dark chocolate, violets with traces of leather and tobacco all taking shape. While the aromatics are intoxicating, the most impressive feature in this full-bodied red is its remarkable balance and structure. This possesses a gorgeous velvety, polished texture and awe-inspiring depth and concentration, which is backed by core of underlying minerality resulting in the perfect median between raw power and sheer class. Everything comes together seamlessly on the long, multidimensional finish, which lingers on, leaving a lasting impression. While this is already completely fascinating, patience will be a virtue, as this age-worthy Amarone will thrive in the cellar for decades to come."