Giuseppe Quintarelli - Alzero 2013 (750ml)
Price: $399.99
| Producer | Giuseppe Quintarelli |
| Country | Italy |
| Region | Veneto |
| Subregion | Valpolicella |
| Varietal | Red Blend |
| Vintage | 2013 |
| Sku | 6050 |
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Alzero is one of the hardest wines to find from Quintarelli and like his Amarones, can be counted among the greatest wines of Italy. The wine is made in almost the same way as his Amarones in that this is 100% appassimento. The grapes are harvested and then left to dry until mid-December, then crushed and fermented in the usual way. The wine spends the same amount of time in barrel as the Amarones, but part of that time is spent in French oak, then transferred to large Slavonian oak casks. The main difference between Alzero and the Amarone is that this is made from Cabernet Franc (40%), Cabernet Sauvignon (40%) and Merlot (20%), but make no mistake, this is not a 'me too' Super Tuscan or Bordeaux/Napa style wine by any measure. This is a Quintarelli wine, and that means no compromise, no wavering from their 'tradition-or-die' philosophy.
The aromatics continue the theme of the Amarone with notes of camphor, woodlands, liqueur cherries, perhaps with the tobacco more to the fore, then supported with spicy, leafy notes.
