1996 Amarone della Valpolicella
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Tasting notes
This wine has taken a beautiful turn, but sadly only 17 bottles still exist back at the winery. The 1996 Amarone della Valpolicella Vigneto di Monte Lodoletta exhibits beautiful linearity and freshness that is almost unreal to behold considering the massive texture and weight of the fruit flavors on hand. The fruit is still plump and vibrant, and the 17.5% alcoholic content is magically downplayed. To be honest, in a blind tasting I might guess this wine is five to ten years younger than it really is. That freshness, both in terms of fruit and mouthfeel, is really quite extraordinary. This wine is going nowhere fast, but in a good way, because it is pretty much ageless. Delicate notes of exotic spice and fine licorice appear as pretty accents on the close. There is no doubt: This is one of the greatest Amarone wines ever made, and it is still holding strong.
Critic scores
Average Score
Robert Parker
Walter Speller, jancisrobinson.com
More reviews and scores
Deep ruby. Minty and balsamic nose that is a little cool, all things being relative when tasting Dal Forno Amarones. Just a hint of mulch. Juicy acidity, while the fruit is less upfront and faced with a frightening amount of tannins. (WS)
Dal Forno's virtually perfect 1996 is undoubtedly the finest Amarone I have ever tasted. Its inky black/purple color is accompanied by extraordinarily pure, graphite-infused, blackberry, plum, mineral, licorice, and espresso flavors. Despite its monumental intensity and richness, this wine is not heavy, somehow managing to conceal its 17.5% alcohol! As compelling an Italian wine as I have ever tasted, it should prove to be unbelievably long-lived. Anticipated maturity: 2004-2030.||Regrettably, this wine is both hard to find and priced in the stratosphere. However, anyone who has tasted a Dal Forno offering realizes this is the reference point for prodigious Valpolicella and Amarone. It possesses off the chart levels of complexity, richness, aging potential, and reveals a style totally unlike anything else produced in the region. Decent quantities are exported, although most stays in Italy to be gobbled up by the local cognoscenti and the country's finest restaurants. Wine Advocate.October, 2001
About the producer
Along with Giuseppe Quintarelli, Dal Forno Romano makes the best wines in the Veneto. The history of Dal Forno Romano, however, is much shorter, and its rise to fame much faster.