Zenato Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Riserva Sergio Zenato 2015

Amarone just might be the world’s most perfect winter wine. Rich, warm, spicy – just soul-enriching stuff from the very first sip! This “Sergio Zanata” riserva is one of the very best we’ve ever had. 98 POINTS! Do not miss this one!

If you’ve ever enjoyed a glass of trebbiano outside of Veneto, there’s a good chance you owe it to Sergio Zanato. He was a legend that is credited for putting trebbiano di Lugana, and indeed, the entire region of Lugana on the proverbial wine map. His tireless dedication to his precious estate, founded in 1960 and based in San Benedetto di Lugana on the shores of Lake Garda, made him the champion of the local trebbiano grape, bringing it to the international wine world’s attention. He expanded his focus to neighboring vineyards in the Valpolicella Classico region, exerting the same effort and extraordinary vision with this remarkable Amarone as the result.

Though Sergio passed after a bout with leukemia in 2008, the estate has thrived under the stewardship of his wife, Carla, and children, Alberto and Nadia, and is recognized as one of the finest Amarone producers in the entire region. With some 35 hectares in the commune of Sant'ambrogio di Valpolicella, the Zanato family focuses on the corvina, rondinella, oselata, and croatina grapes to make their Amarone. For this cuvée, only the oldest plots are selected, with this offering only made in the finest vintages. The vines, grown on lime-y clay and shale, are hand-harvested, then dried for four months on special mats in a specialized drying room. The yields for these vineyards are extremely low, averaging just over 3 tons per acre, all before drying removes the majority of water prior to fermentation. After a two-week fermentation, the wine ages for a minimum of four years in large Slavonian oak casks, with another year in bottle prior to release.

The resulting wine is classic, compelling, and simply jaw-dropping Amarone. Smoky, dark cherries, dried figs, chocolate-covered raisins, licorice, baked plum, iron ore, roasted herbs...this goes on and on. Tremendous balance, with hedonistic weight, and warmth, this is a wine to be savored...either now, or better still, 5 years from now. Epically delightful stuff. Only 100 cases made it to the states, and we are just thrilled to have this...even though it is strictly limited. While it lasts!