Veneto is an important wine region in the northeastern corner of Italy. In terms of geography, culture, and wine styles, it represents a transition between the alpine, Germano-Slavic end of Italy and the warmer, drier, more Roman lands to the south.
Score: 95Vintage 2019James SucklingA single Amarone here, from one vineyard. If there was the legislation to promote single vineyard wine, the estate would likely make more of them. But as it stands, there is not. A large-framed wine with a coil of tannins, operating like a spring of expansion, tension and promotion, sashaying notes of coffee grind, camphor, bitter chocolate, mocha, clove, olive, Fernet Branca, balsamic and pithy cherry notes long across the palate on one hand, while tightening the structural latticework to keep them contained, poised and eminently drinkable, on the other. The more I go back to this, the more I like it. A sophisticated Amarone, with a wonderful skein of acidity towing length. Drinkable now, but best from 2025.Shelf TalkerFull Page Review
Score: 94Vintage 2018James Suckling Dark cherries, blackberries, mussels, licorice, figs and some finely ground black chocolate, following through to a medium-to full-bodied palate with elegant berries and a bittersweet black-chocolate note. A refined, textbook Amarone that shows great poise and modern drinkability. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold.Shelf TalkerFull Page Review
Score: 94Vintage 2018Vinous MediaThere's an exotic flair to the 2018 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Sant'Urbano as foreign spices, dusty dried roses, red currants and blood orange hints form its bouquet. This is supple and enveloping with stimulating acidity that adds an energetic feel, as tart cherry and raspberry fruits drench the palate. Its minerality comes through in the finish, almost salty in character as grippy tannins saturate, yet the wine remains amazingly fresh. The 2018 is wonderfully balanced and potent, a total success for the vintage.Shelf TalkerFull Page Review
Score: 92Vintage 2018Wine EnthusiastIntense floral aromas pour out of the glass on this super-pretty Amarone. As the wine opens, the ripe plum, blueberry and cassis aromas spin in the glass, with a touch of sweet tobacco in the background. The mouthfilling wine is hemmed in with fine tannins and enough acidity to keep lush, dominant fruit flavors at bay. An earthiness at the end keeps you interested in how this wine will evolve next. Drink now–2035.Shelf TalkerFull Page Review
Score: 94Vintage 2012Wine EnthusiastThis complex and fragrant wine opens with dried violet, black plum and cooking spice aromas. The smooth, well-structured palate doles out blackberry jam, pipe tobacco, ripe black cherry, nutmeg and licorice flavors. Velvety tannins provide elegant support. Drink through 2027.Shelf TalkerFull Page Review
Score: 94Vintage 2010Wine EnthusiastFrom one of Valpolicella's storied estates, this single-vineyard Amarone combines structure and elegance. It seamlessly weaves together intense sensations of crushed black plum, blackberry, black pepper, cinnamon, tilled earth and leather. Balanced with fresh acidity and velvety tannins, it boasts an extraordinarily smooth texture. Drink 2015–2025.Shelf TalkerFull Page Review
Score: 94Vintage 2008Wine EnthusiastFrom one of the Valpolicella's best producers, this vineyard-designate Amarone is amazingly soft and velvety, with aromas of softly worn leather, moist chewing tobacco, ripe black cherry and barbecue smoke. It's an elegant but modern rendition, showing power, intensity and impressive length. Best yet, the fruit is young enough to promise more years of graceful aging.Shelf TalkerFull Page Review
Score: 96Vintage 1990James SucklingIt is amazing to glimpse the controlled alcohols across the Amarone of this estate, seldom - if ever - breaching 15%. This is quite the miracle given the number of wines I have tasted that breach 17%. The pursuit of freshness, the essence. Camphor, mint, mountain herb and the extract of dried leather meld with varnish, porcini and a thrust of well-handled volatility carrying this long and fresh. Exceptional. Drink or hold.Shelf TalkerFull Page Review