Amarone Classico Riserva

Score

97

Score

91

"The 2013 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Riserva opens to a dark garnet color with crimson background tones. This is a powerful, full-bodied red with aromas of sour cherry, red currant and dried cranberry. The blend is 75% Corvina, 15% Corvinone and 10% Rondinella, and this Riserva ages in large oak casks for four years. There is a sour note to this vintage that creates a sudden contrast to the background sweetness you usually get with Amarone, making it a good bet for Korean meat dishes or moo shu beef. Some 26,000 bottles were made, including magnums and other large formats."

Score

95

"The 2013 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Riserva manages to deliver all of the richness, opulence and dark intense fruit that you’d hope for, in an unbelievably vibrant and pretty expression. Blackberries, currants, cinnamon, clove, cedar and mocha create an initially intense burst of aromatics. Hints of stone dust and dried roses evolve in the glass, adding further depth yet also freshness over time. The textures here are elegance personified, as wave after wave of silken ripe red fruits and spices washes across the palate, all guided by juicy acids that create a pure and high-energy expression. Notions of tart cherry, licorice, bitters and baker’s chocolate linger for well over a minute. Amarone is often called a wine of meditation, and the 2013 fits that bill perfectly."