Tenuta Santa Maria Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Riserva 2015 (750ML)

96 VM / 94 FS/ 93 WA / 93 JS

Sweet violets and roses give way to black cherries, balsamic spices and white smoke as the incredibly pretty 2015 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Riserva blossoms in the glass. This is an undeniably elegant and refined style, casting a polished display of licorice-tinged blackberries and savory herbs across a core of brisk acidity. The resulting expression is quite savory, tapering off long with building tannic tension that grows with each sip. Rich notes of mocha contrast fresh mint and salty minerals, as this finishes impossibly long with an umami feel. The 2015 gets an official “wow” in my book.-- Eric Guido, Vinous Media

Bright ruby-red. Slightly reductive on the nose, followed by dried tomatoes, slight savoury tones as well as red berries. On the palate very juicy and with compact, tight tannins, unfurling beautiful savoury tones, and fruit. An elegant character with great length.-Falstaff

The Tenuta Santa Maria di Gaetano Bertani 2015 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Riserva is a long, polished and flowing wine that offers lots of aromatic detail. At first, it shows plenty of ripe blackberry and Morello cherry, with the baked aromas you can expect of a hot and sunny vintage such as 2015. Then, you get toasted spice, tar and licorice. In terms of Amarone, which is almost always an exceedingly full-bodied wine, this expression is slightly more slender and accessible. It has plenty of power though, with 16% alcohol, which is contained within the solid frame of this northern Italian red. The blend is 75% Corvina, 15% Corvinone and 10% Rondinella. Production is 12,000 bottles.-Monica Larner, The Wine Advocate

A compact Amarone, considering its age, with lots of red fruit and a cumin-like edge that is very enticing. Medium-to full-bodied with the same intense fruit and spice character. Firm tannins just add intensity to the fruit. Tight but long finish. All in balance. Needs a year or two to show its full potential. Enticing now, but best from 2023.-James Suckling