Amarone della Valpolicella Classico 2000 DOC, Cavaliere G. B. Bertani (Veneto)
Best of the Best
The Bertani winery was founded in 1887. The current wine maker is Christian Ridolfi. This Amarone is made from a blend of 70% Corvina Veronese, 25% Rondinella and 5% Molinara grapes. Bertani grows all of its own grapes and their style is very traditional.
Many producers of Amarone dry their grapes in temperature controlled warehouses but Bertani dries their grapes in the traditional method on cane mats. These mats stored on raised platforms in airy lofts sheltered by a roof but otherwise exposed to drying breezes on all sides for four months. The grapes are affected by botrytis, a type of mold known as “noble rot”. As they dry, the grapes lose 60% of their water content and their flavor becomes concentrated. The wine is aged in large Slavonian oak casks between five and eight years and one year in bottle before release. This gives the wine great body and structure and the ability to age for many years. It is a full dry complex wine.
