Amarone della Valpolicella Monte Lodoletta 2015

The wine in this vintage

2015 is regarded in the Veneto, as in much of Italy, as an excellent vintage: a warm, sunny summer and healthy, perfectly ripe grapes, ideal for drying. Dal Forno's Amarone Monte Lodoletta 2015 has earned some of the highest accolades in its history: James Suckling awarded it a perfect 100 points and Antonio Galloni 98. The nose is extremely deep, with black cherry, blackberry, plum, cocoa, liquorice, balsamic herbs, tobacco and exotic spice; the palate is opulent yet highly precise, with silky tannins and extraordinary length. Already captivating, the wine is destined for a very long evolution 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

• 100 James Suckling
• 98 Antonio Galloni

Technical details

Producer

Dal Forno Romano

Region

Veneto

Country

Italia

Type

Rosso

Vintage

2015

When to drink

Hold, still evolving

Critics' average

99/100

Sizes

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

eWibe code

0410115