2003 Amarone della Valpolicella Campolongo di Torbe

The 2003 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Campolongo di Torbe is a wine that I have had the fortune to taste many times over the past few years. Having examined its various drinking stages, it has definitely never tasted better than it does now. Budding tertiary and oxidative aromas of dried spice and dark caramel open to prune, black current, campfire smoke, licorice, cola, dried ginger, grilled herbs and perfumed mesquite wood. It’s a lovely and articulate wine that will speak to those who take the time to savor it. The 2003 vintage was infamously hot across Europe, but Amarone and wines made according to appassimento principles fare better in hot years because the drying process is easier. Drink 2013-2023. Winemaking excellence should be consistent, but it must never be static. This is a lesson I learned at a recent tasting spanning five decades of Masi’s wines including the 1967, 1973, 1979, 1983, 1988, 1990, 1995, 1997, 2003 and 2007 Amarones Classico, Riserva, Vaio, Campolongo and Mazzano. Sandro Boscaini and his team of technicians have been tinkering with their signature style for many decades. Like a New York cab swerving between traffic lanes, they’ve veered into more oak, less oak, more extraction and less extraction. Despite the manic maneuvering, they never venture far from the centerline. Importer: Kobrand Corporation, www.kobrandwineandspirits.com