Amarone della Valpolicella Monte Lodoletta 2013

The wine in this vintage

After a cool, wet spring, 2013 in Valpolicella saw a more regular summer and a late harvest, with grapes of vibrant acidity and defined aromatics: a classically styled year, ideal for Amarone with tension. Dal Forno's Amarone Monte Lodoletta 2013 is a splendid interpretation: cherry, sour cherry, violet, medicinal herbs, cocoa, spice and black pepper on the nose; a powerful yet lifted palate with very fine tannins and a freshness that carries a very long finish. Robert Parker awarded it 98 points. Already expressive, the wine has decades of evolution ahead and can be cellared with confidence.

The producer · Dal Forno Romano

Dal Forno Romano is one of Italy's most celebrated names and an absolute benchmark for Valpolicella. The family's story is tied to the Lodoletta locality in Cellore d'Illasi, in the Val d'Illasi, an area that was then little regarded and far from the Valpolicella Classica heartland. From the 1980s, inspired by his encounter with Giuseppe Quintarelli, Romano Dal Forno transformed the family farm with a radical vision: very high planting densities, tiny yields, drying of the grapes in ventilated, controlled rooms to keep them healthy, long ageing in new barriques and release only after many years. The grapes are the area's traditional varieties, Corvina, Corvinone and Rondinella, together with Croatina and Oseleta. Today Romano works alongside his sons Marco, Luca and Michele. The wines, led by the Amarone and Valpolicella Superiore, are monumental in concentration and depth yet surprisingly precise: very long-lived reds made in limited quantities and only in vintages deemed worthy.

Critics' scores

• 98 Robert Parker
• 95 Wine Spectator

Technical details

Producer

Dal Forno Romano

Region

Veneto

Country

Italia

Type

Rosso

Vintage

2013

When to drink

Hold, still evolving

Critics' average

96.5/100

Sizes

75 cl, Magnum 150 cl, Case of 6 × 75 cl

eWibe code

0410113