The hills are alive…

After a fantastic five days in Verona, it is time to head to Tuscany with a quick stop in Florence before we spend the night in Montalcino visiting Il Palazzone and Biondi Santi.

Driving through Valpolicella was amazing yesterday with vineyard aspect and altitude the real key aspects. We spent the afternoon at Dal Forno which was very different to what we expected.

Whilst I am a traditionalist at heart, seeing the workings of Dal Forno really had to he seen to be believed. Does all this futuristic equipment help make them better winemakers, those who like Quinteralli would probably say no. But hey, who are we to argue.

Sometimes it is more about the bottle than the wine: 64 Masi Valpol absolutely singing…..

Steak and Valpolicella.

Last week I pulled out an old bottle of Masi 64 Valpolicella that I picked up for under $20 a bottle in Italy. With wines this old, you never know what you are going to get. Sometimes it is more about the bottle than the actual wine. Luckily for us, this wine was in peak form and showed so beautifully. Imagine the life and the travels of this wine before it landed on my table 39 years after being made….

Bibemus: In Italy (and Veneto) We Trust

Last night our Italian tasting group (Bibemus) got together at Bottega Restaurant for an ode to Quinteralli and also give thanks to the many other great producers from Veneto.

These are the wines served last night:

1. Pieropan Calvarino Soave Classico 2009
2. Ca’ Rugate Monte Fiorentine Soave Classico 2010
3. Pieropan La Rocca Soave Classico 2009
4. Ca’ Rugate Rio Albo Valpolicella 2010
5. Le Vigne di San Pietro Valpolicella 2009
6. Romano Dal Forno Valpolicella Superiore del vigneto Monte Lodoletta 2001
7. Giuseppe Quintarelli Valpolicella Classico Superiore 2001
8. Brigaldara Amarone della Valpolicella Classico 2007
9. Allegrini Amarone della Valpolicella Classico 2001
10. Speri Amarone della Valpolicella Monte Sant’ Urbano 2001
11. Tedeschi Amarone della Valpolicella Capitel Monte Olmi 2001
12. And the mystery wine: Giuseppe Quintarelli Amarone della Valpolicella 2000

And the highlight? Well pretty easy answer. The Giuseppe Quintarelli Amarone della Valpolicella 2000.

All the wines looked fantastic last night. The bracket of whites showed each wines distinct personality and illustrated the quality of each vineyard site. For me the Pieropan La Rocca Soave Classico 2009 was the best wine of the bracket. Whilst it is a worked style and you have to be in the mood to enjoy it, last night showed why for me it was the best white. It was beautifully textured, powerful, had the perfect amount of acidity and finished with layers upon layers of beautiful fruit. You cannot really ask for much more in a white.

Moving onto the reds, all the wines showed well except for the Tedeschi Amarone della Valpolicella Capitel Monte Olmi 2001 which was corked.

It must be noted that whilst I enjoyed the sheer quality of the Romano Dal Forno Valpolicella Superiore del vigneto Monte Lodoletta 2001. It is not a style I like. I found it forward, modern, sexed up and a caricature of Valpolicella.

The Giuseppe Quintarelli Valpolicella Classico Superiore 2001 on the other hand was as perfect as one could ever ask for in Valpolicella. Truly amazing with seamless fruit and loads of complexity.

We finished with the Giuseppe Quintarelli Amarone della Valpolicella 2000 that was textbook Amarone and again close to the perfect wine.

Drinking the wines of Veneto and saluting the great man Giuseppe Quintarelli capped off the best Bibemus dinner to date. I can’t think of anything better than drinking great wines with great friends and saluting one of Italy’s greatest winemakers.