Giuseppe Quintarelli - Amarone della Valpolicella Classico 2018

The late, great Maestro del Veneto, Giuseppe Quintarelli, succeeded in establishing his mythical and legendary estate during an amazing sixty-year career. All of the tradition, love, heart, and soul of crafting one of the world’s finest wines continue at the Quintarelli home and winery in the hills north of Verona. Giuseppe’s daughter Fiorenza, his son-in-law Giampaolo, and his grandsons Francesco and Lorenzo are all keeping a close watch over the family’s legacy.

It is impossible to speak about Quintarelli without superlatives. The name itself stands for so much: the family, the wines, a style, a tradition, a way of doing things. After all the time, effort, patience, and care that go into the making of a bottle of Quintarelli, it truly does mean so much more than wine. Giuseppe, fondly known as “Bepi” to those closest to him, was a perfectionist in every way. From the beautiful handwritten labels, to the best possible quality cork, to the exquisite wine in the bottles, the Quintarelli name is a stamp of authenticity and the ultimate indication of an artisanal, handmade, uncompromising wine of the highest quality.

Nothing is ever hurried at Quintarelli. The wines take their time and are given the time they need. In the still, quiet calm of the family cellars above the town of Negrar, along the winding via del Cerè, deep in the Valpolicella zone, the wine from the family’s hillside vineyards ages patiently and gracefully in large casks until it is ready. Every release is a masterpiece, a testament to time, tradition, skill, and passion, the creations of a master artisan. You can’t really compare these wines to any other in the region, or anywhere else in the world. They really are in a class and a category all their own.

Quintarelli’s dry Amarone is crafted from a selection of their most flawless grapes, picked at the perfect moment, and then left to slowly dehydrate on special racks in a custom-built, ventilated loft above their home. The grapes slowly concentrate their flavors as the water in them evaporates naturally. They are pressed around Christmastime, and the wine is fermented largely dry, then left to age and refine for many years in large Slavonian oak casks. The resulting wine is the grandest expression of these Veronese hills, a full-bodied, kaleidoscopic wine, to be enjoyed with fine roasts and cheeses.

“The 2018 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico slowly evolves with a whimsical mix of dusty dried violets, cedar box, cardamom, stone dust and dried black cherries. It displays textures of pure silk, lifted and feminine in nature, as bright red berry fruits wash across the palate, leaving a tactile staining of minerals and sweet tannins. The 2018 shows incredible length and poise, leaving blue and purple inner florals over notes of licorice and clove through the lightly structured and completely harmonious finale. Bury this radiant beauty deep in the cellar.” - 97 Points, Vinous

Producer: Giuseppe Quintarelli

Country: Italy

Region: Veneto

Varietal: Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella

Appellation: Amarone della Valpolicella Classico

Vintage: 2018

Size: 750ml