Vertical Amarone: A Once in a Lifetime Tasting

Vertical Amarone A Once in a Lifetime Tasting   by Dean Morretta    I was invited by my friend and supplier Winebow to experience a once in a lifetime tasting. We would taste wines following the tasting presented for Antonio Galloni, famed reviewer for Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate. Arriving at the tasting on Central Park South, I was in awe of the park views! The wines presented to me here, next to this beautiful view, also left me in awe. This would be two days of back to back tastings, with verticals ofCastellare I Sodi di San Niccolo andZenato Amarone Riserva going back to 1979. We would taste 20 different vintages each day. My first thoughts were, "When do you get this type of opportunity?" and second that I was the luckiest guy in the world. Each wine demonstrated its varietal and vintage influence, more importantly the style of the estate. Tasting through each producer's wine, you stumble upon a trait that runs through each and every vintage, that make these wines truly special and in the spirit of the estates. Castellare I Sodi di San Niccolo is a blend of Sangioveto and Malvasia Nera aged in French oak, approximately 50% new.Castellare is one of those properties that never seems to get the attention it deserves, despite boasting a track record of superb quality that goes back several decades. This works to the consumer's advantage, as prices have remained quite reasonable, especially for the flagship I Sodi di San Niccolo. Zenato Amarone Riserva is a blend of 80% Corvina, 10% Sangiovese and 10% Rondinella. Simply put, this is a gem. While the wines are ripe and have supple flavors on the nose and palate with plum and berry jam front and center, there is a sense of freshness with volume, density and a lengthy, balanced finish. I love this style of Amarone. Your palate does not become fatigued! On top of all this, they sneaked in a small vertical tasting ofPrunotto Barolo Busia (1988, 1995, 2004, 2005, 2006), where we even tasted the 2008 which is not even in bottle yet. Nice! The wines were smoking and all still babies. It truly was a one in a lifetime wine experience!