2014 Valpolicella Superiore Monte Lodoletta

The Val d’Illasi is the furthest valley east of Verona that is permitted to produce Valpolicella and Amarone. It is not part of the original “Classico'' growing area, but it is the home of the Dal Forno vineyards and winery. With 26 hectares of vines planted at an average of 270 meters, the Dal Forno family is able to blend the advantages of the alluvial soils in the lower elevations, and the clay-rich soils as their vines move further upslope. The focus here is on the traditional mix of varieties: Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella, Oseleta and Croatina. However, in the winery, Dal Forno depends on a modern approach, with no fear of technology, to create their portfolio of dark, massively intense, seamlessly elegant, yet wonderfully balanced Amarone and Valpolicella. Marco Dal Forno, enologist and second generation, explained that the family had recently acquired another 24 hectares of vineyards, but it intends to experiment with them prior to blending them into the production. His goal is to better understand the unique soil types within Illasi and how each variety acts differently within them, in order to plan for replantings in the future. That said, production quantity was a repeating theme of our conversations, as he also explained to me that hail is becoming more and more frequent. As I mentioned previously, these are modern interpretations of the wines of the region, but don’t let that deter you, because they are also some of the best produced from year to year. Following an extremely strict selection, Corvina grapes for the Amarone undergo three months of air-drying, followed by a first fermentation in stainless steel with automated punch-downs; and then moved into new French oak, where the wine undergoes a slow secondary fermentation that can last up to 18 months. Ultimately, the Amarone spends two years in barrel prior to bottling. It’s also extremely important to take note that even the Valpolicella of Dal Forno spends 45 days air-drying, followed by two years in new oak and three years in bottle. Basically, it’s like drinking many other producers’ Amarone, but it’s labeled Valpolicella.