2016 Zenato Amarone della Valpolicella Classico

Zenato is a 200-acre estate in the Veneto appellation of Italy. It is owned and operated Sergio and Carla Zenato, who established the estate in 1960. Today the couple’s two adult children, Nadia and Alberto, are also employed full-time in the family business. Zenato wines are well known throughout the world, thanks partly to the family’s ambitious marketing and exporting, but also to the success of their Amarone, which is their signature wine. Robert M. Parker Jr. has written that Zenato “makes wines in a very classic style.”

Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG, usually called simply Amarone, was awarded its prestigious DOCG appellation status in 2009. Though lush, high alcohol content red wines have been made in the Veneto since the ancient Greeks settled there, the popularity of Amarone over the last few decades has resulted in international demand for the wine. Amarone is typically made from 45% to 95% Corvina, blended with Rondinella and other indigenous grapes. The blend is essentially the same as for Valpolicella, but Amarone is made from dried grapes, which gives it a rich, viscous quality and an alcohol content between 14% and 20%. Though Amarone is a dry wine, there is a sweet version called Recioto della Valpolicella. The recioto style wines are included in the DOCG, and the word “ripasso” on label usually indicates the sweeter style.