2007 Amarone della Valpolicella Mazzano

Truly drop-dead gorgeous is the 2007 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Mazzano. I think the 2007 vintage is one of the best expressions of Mazzano ever made. This is a finely elaborate and intriguing vinous creation that shines bright like a piece of classic marble sculpture. There is a subtle gloss and patina to the wine that gives it extra smoothness and silkiness to the touch. Likewise, its aromas of white mineral, spice, blackcurrant and licorice are finely etched and defined. Timeless Mazzano will keep in your cellar for ten years or more. ||Masi made a memorable presentation this year thanks to two older vintages (1990 and 1997) that are both part of the Masi Boscaini Collezione Grandi Annate program. The Boscanini family has recently been aggressively promoting Amarone as a cellar-worthy wine. Critics contend that wines made thanks to the appassimento process do not boast a long cellar life because the air-drying process (in which grapes lose about 30% of their water weight) erodes and desiccates the chemical substances inside the grape skins that help a wine evolve over extended periods of cellar aging. Sandro Boscaini argues this is not true and he has set out to demonstrate his point through a series of high profile vertical tastings and the commercialization of older vintages like the two I tried this year. Sandro has a point: Amarone is a long-term wine and I found that the onset of tertiary aromas is arguably slower thanks to the fact the wine is made from raisins. You never perceive that sudden gap between fresh and dried fruit with Amarone as you do with other Italian reds, most notably Brunello di Montalcino that can age suddenly and very unexpectedly. Of course, the blend of indigenous grapes used to make Amarone (Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella, Molinara, Oseleta and others) were specifically selected by old timers because of their larger berry sizes, more robust skins, or dark colors. These attributes make them especially well-suited to appassimento. But you cannot compare them to the Nebbiolo grape for example, the mighty variety used in Barolo and Barbaresco, that was singled out by vintners thanks to the unique tannic structure that makes the grape especially well-suited for cellar aging. Amarone grapes are destined to the air-drying process, Barolo is destined to the cellar. That's a fundamental truth. Having said that, Boscaini's library collection will surprise you. The 1990 Amarone presents all the slow aging qualities that would win over skeptics. As would the 1997. I wouldn't assign a terribly long drinking window to these wines (five years or maybe more) but there is no doubt that they are drinking beautifully right now. eRobertParker.com.December, 2014