Corte Armano Amarone della Valpolicella Vigneti Vallata di Marano 2020

Corte Armano makes this Amarone della Valpolicella from the Vallata di Marano, a hillside zone in the Valpolicella Classico area of the Veneto worked by the Campagnola family across five generations. The blend is Corvina with Rondinella and Molinara. What defines Amarone is appassimento: the harvested bunches are laid on racks and dried for several months, losing water and concentrating sugar, acids and phenolics before a slow winter fermentation carries almost all that sugar to alcohol. The result here reaches 15.5%, with dried-grape depth rather than jammy ripeness. Ageing in wood softens the tannins and adds a savoury, spiced edge. The colour is deep garnet. The nose is dried cherry and plum, prune, cocoa and a note of dried herbs, with leather and clove from time in barrel. The palate is full and warming, the dried-fruit sweetness balanced by firm acidity and a long, bittersweet finish that is the Amarone signature. Serve at 18 degrees in a large bowled glass, decanting an hour ahead. It suits braised beef, venison and aged hard cheese.