2015 Valpolicella Superiore
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Tasting Notes
Dal Forno’s Valpolicella Superiore is an Amarone in all but name, made entirely from appassimento berries – grapes dried for 20-25 days. The 2015 vintage was exceptional for Valpolicella, as in much of Northern Italy, bringing incredible levels of concentration to the wine. The wine has a deep crimson, rim-staining colour. The nose is rich, full of high-toned aromatics, neroli floral scents, dried cherry, raisins and sweeter vanilla tones. The palate is impressively structured, the oak tannins melding with the rich red cherry fruit, bringing great depth to the palate. There is a great balance of flavours beyond the sweet, dried fruit, with savoury fresh tobacco and sweeter almond pastry notes. Despite the immense concentration, there is plenty of acidity keeping the palate vibrant. With such richness and structure this will give a good 10-15 years’ drinking pleasure.
Critic Scores
Average Score
Monica Larner, Wine Advocate
Eric Guido, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The 2015 Valpolicella Superiore Monte Lodoletta wows the senses with a burst of spicy citrus, cherries and incense that leaps from the glass. Further depths develop through each swirl with complementing notes of dried roses, cocoa and clove. It’s elegant and silky-smooth with a harmonious mix of ripe red and hints of blue fruits, a saline core and gorgeous inner florals that form toward the close. Hard red candies and hints of violette pastille linger long, as the mouth is left watering for more. This is firing on all cylinders and full of energy. The Valpolicella of Dal Forno is made 100% from grapes that are dried between 20-25 days.
The 2015 Valpolicella Superiore Monte Lodoletta is a towering wine that shows impeccable concentration, richness and tight balance. Between Romano and his sons, the Dal Forno family has amassed many years of experimentation and expertise, and they know exactly how to farm in a hot vintage like 2015 without compromising on freshness and structure. This wine opens to deep layers of black fruit, spice, smoky mesquite and campfire ash. It shows big tannic structure that comes with lots of fruit weight and textural padding. But no matter, this is a wine you'll want to put aside before drinking.
Such a profound nose of fresh and dried fruit with blackcurrants, dates and prunes, together with lighter notes of mild spice and pomegranate seeds. The fresher elements provide the drive on the full palate and, together with very fine, bright, fine-grained tannins, give a long, chewy yet fresh and pruney finish. Hugely concentrated, but the balance and poise is impeccable. There’s no denying the classic quality of this. Delicious to taste now, but this needs a few years to integrate. Try from 2025.
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.