2018 Palazzo Della Torre

Touring the Allegrini vineyards is an eye-opening experience to say the least. It’s one thing to read and write about how owner Marilisa Allegrini has been pushing the boundaries in the region, and it’s another thing to truly see it. When I say pushing boundaries, mostly I mean the importance the Allegrini family places on terroir, a concept that Valpolicella has only recently begun to accept. Another push is their beliefs that the two most important grape varieties of the region are Corvina Veronese and Corvinone, and how the blending rules of the DOC are preventing producers from making the best wines possible. It’s because of this that Allegrini uses the maximum amount allowed of each throughout their range of Valpolicella, Amarone, and Riserva, balancing out to 45% Corvina Veronese, 45% Corvinone, 5% Rondinella and 5% Oseleta. It’s also the reason why a number of the highlights from the portfolio are labeled IGT, allowing for a more dynamic mix of varieties or mono-varietal wines, such as the single-vineyard La Grola (90% Corvina Veronese and 10% Oseleta) and La Poja, a varietal Corvina Veronese. Both wines hail from the La Grola hill between 310 to 320 meters in elevation and from vines planted in 1979, and neither of them rely on appassimento to bolster their character. Add to this repertoire the Palazzo della Torre, another single-vineyard yet younger vine expression at 240 meters that mixes Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella and a small percentage of Sangiovese to create what is one of the best values found in the region, and you have a dynamic portfolio that runs the gamut. As is usually the case, I find myself so wrapped up in the IGTs that I forget to talk about just how special the Amarone really is; in fact, I find it to be a benchmark of the region. With each vintage, the Amarone has a balance between the glycerol textures and perception of sweetness from appassimento fruit with a core of minerality and fine tannins that makes it enjoyable near release, but also able to mature over decades. It is great to know that one of the traditional families in this region is currently at the head of the pack.