Monte Dall’Ora Amarone della Valpolicella Stropa 2013

“The darkly alluring 2013 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Stropa smolders up from the glass with a beguiling mix of ground ginger, crushed ashen stone, sugar-dusted black cherries and cloves. This floods the palate with an intense wave of ripe medicinal cherry and blackberry, accentuated by a pretty inner sweetness yet contrasted by a pop of brisk acidity that adds tension toward the close. The 2013 finishes dramatically long and primary with youthfully grippy tannins and a potent staining of residual fruits. Cedar and licorice hints slowly fade. So powerful but also energetic, the 2013 has outstanding cellaring potential. Drinking window: 2026-2040. 95+ points

Over the last few years, I’ve been happily following the wines of Monte dall’Ora, which possess a sense of energy and purity seldom found in Valpolicella. Carlo Venturini and his wife Alessandra Zantedeschi started to work their farm in 1995, organic at first, with a conversion to biodynamic principles in 2006. The couple believes deeply in biodiversity, using pergola-trained vines planted amongst cherry and olive trees and grasses and wildflowers that create a natural ecosystem. The family also tends to a 50-year-old parcel planted using the “vite maritata” system, where the vines are “married” or supported by trees, including almond and mulberry. This parcel creates their Amarone Stropa, which is a huge standout. Each wine is a declaration of place with vineyards throughout the Classico zone. Also of note is the high-elevation San Giorgio vineyard, which produces one of the most exciting Valpolicella I have tasted this year. This is low intervention, natural winemaking at its very best.”

Eric Guido, Vinous (03/23)