2004 Romano Dal Forno Valpolicella Superiore Vigneto Monte Lodoletta

Romano Dal Forno is located near Verona, in Italy’s Veneto region. With 62 acres of vineyards, it is relatively small, producing about 45,000 bottles annually. Yet it enjoys an outsized reputation for the quality of its wines. The estate has been in the Dal Forno family for four generations, and is today run by Romano Dal Forno. Amarone della Valpolicella is the estate’s signature wine, and Gambero Rosso, Italy’s leading wine journal, generally gives the estate’s wines the highest possible rating of 3 Bicchieri.

Valpolicella DOC near Verona, in Veneto, earned appellation status in 1968. Viticulture has thrived in the region since the ancient Greeks first planted vineyards, and the tradition of using partially dried grapes to produce the concentrated red wine we now call Amarone is attributed to the Greeks. The fertile soils of the area combined with relatively mild climate in the shadows of the Alps has made Valpolicella a major wine producing region throughout history. Valpolicella is made from a blend of the Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara grapes, and can also contain small amounts of other red grapes. Valpolicella Superiore must be aged a minimum of one year. In 2008 and 2009 smaller appellations for Ripasso della Valpolicella and Amarone della Valpolicella were added to the district.