2016 Romano Dal Forno Amarone della Valpolicella
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Tasting notes
This wine is made with special vacuum technology that prevents contact with oxygen. The Dal Forno Romano 2016 Amarone della Valpolicella Monte Lodoletta has developed nicely over the years to show savory smoky notes and a mineral tone of crushed stone or aspirin. This is a thickly concentrated effort with enormous volume and richness. The wood is elegantly integrated, although the tannins remain astringent. Those still need to be tamed (as much as is possible) with more time in bottle.
Critic scores
Eric Guido, Vinous
Monica Larner, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
Inky in the glass with almost no rim. Aromas of cloves, coconut, graphite, dark lush bramble fruit, plums and cherries. Full-bodied with great concentration of fruit and a super-dense and velvety palate. Extremely rich, but balanced by crisp acidity and thick yet dynamic and chewy tannins. Amazing finish of salted chocolate. A superpower Amarone with grace. Try from 2026. Will age for decades.
The 2016 Amarone della Valpolicella is a sleeping giant, darkly alluring with dried violets, dusty black currants, shaved cedar and lifting hints of mint. This is sleek and cool-toned in feel—lifted yet intense and savory to the core, with masses of mineral-tinged dark red fruits and balsamic tones carried across a core of zesty acidity. The 2016 finishes tannic and long, clamping down hard on the palate and leaving a bitter primary concentration that lingers on and on. This is just a baby today and in need of serious cellaring, yet the potential is off the charts. Marco Dal Forno explains that he considered selling the 2018 before the 2016 to allow it to come fully into focus, which he already did with the 2017.
Bright and firm, distinctive and moreish with a ton of Amarone signature. Expect bitter chocolate, dried fruit, kirsh, Christmas cake, tar, espresso and mandarin peel. A stunningly complex wine, juicy and full of character. No need to rush this, could drink now or cellar for a good decade. Marco dal Forno director at this 34ha estate.
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.