Tenuta Sant' Antonio Manfro Amarone Della Valpolicella 2018

Just landed from Italy, this gorgeous DOUBLE 95 POINT Amarone deftly balances the typical intense berry and plum fruit compotes of Amarone with an incredible depth of savory, mineral spice, and nuance...all while showcasing an incredible freshness. At OVER 30% OFF, this is one to cherish and collect for perfect drinking anytime over the next two decades.

The Castagnedi brothers were all working as vineyard and winery consultants in Valpolicella when they inherited 50 acres of land from their father back in 1989. This led them to acquire 75 more in the revered, high-elevation region of Monti Garbi, and like that, Tenuta Sant' Antonio was born. Producing since 1995, these have quickly become some of the most unique, fresh, and nuanced Amarone in Italy. This tiny production of their exclusive “Manfro” bottling was originally created for the Swiss market back in 2015. The wine is now sold exclusively through La Place de Bordeaux, making for a rare bottling that almost never exists in the U.S.!

The grapes here are Valpolicella’s traditional varieties – the classic corvina (75%) rounded out with smaller roles for rondinella (15%), croatia (5%), and oseleta (5%). As ever, for the painstakingly laborious creation of Amarone, the grapes are first hand harvested, then dried on special straw mats for several months before fermentation in stainless steel. The wine then ages in new 500 liter French tonneaus for 2 years, undergoing rigorous bâtonnage stirring weekly for the first year to further develop weight and richness. Bottle conditioning of nearly a year follows before the wine is released to La Place de Bordeaux to be sold.

The wine elegantly combines ripe dark fruit notes of black plum, blackberry compote, fig jam, and heady brandied cherries with silky and creamy mocha and spice overtones. A delicate presence of violets, dried lavender, and rose petals uplifts the wine – adding a playful elegance that is in turn grounded with a meaty, iron, and sanguine depth that finishes with a whisper of fresh black truffles. Extremely complex, rich, and smooth – this is a wine to sip slowly and savor over the coming 2 decades.