San Michele Amarone 2018

96pts Luca Maroni

Once in a while I taste a wine that is a complete stand-out at the price, way better than anything I have tasted this is that wine. The 2018 San Michele Amarone is everything that is great about top Amarone. Incredible richness and depth and intensity matched with balance, grace and length. This kind of magic is normally found in far more expensive, very Quintarelli like in interpretation. The Roman church on the wines label is dedicated to San Michele Arcangelo and it dates back to the 12th Century.

The drying of the grapes is a specific and very ancient technique, the first mention of which dates back to the era of ancient Rome. This method, which is typical of the Valpolicella area, is essential for the production of Amarone. At the time of harvesting by hand, the sparsest, least-compact bunches are selected, the grapes of which must be perfectly ripe and healthy. The bunches are then placed in large crates, called plateaux, and left to rest in the spacious, very well-ventilated fruit-drying rooms. The drying lasts about 100-120 days, depending on the percentage of water contained in the grapes which evaporates. At the end of this process the bunches consequently lose 30-40% of their weight, and the concentration of sugars and juice increases in the grapes. The San Michele Amarone grapes were dried for four months and then placed in barrel for four years prior to release. The result is power matched with elegance, spectacular concentration matched with complexity. The wine got a huge 96pts by Luca Maroni, the Robert Parker or Wine Spectator of Italy. An Amarone which does everything it should do and more and it costs a fraction of the price of the most famous names in town. A must for Amarone lovers and lovers of big rich red wine.