Dal Forno Romano, Amarone della Valpolicella, Monte Lodoletta 2013

The 2013 Amarone della Valpolicella Monte Lodoletta is my favorite wine in the retrospective, along with the amazing 2011, 2009 and 1996 vintages. This wine was released at the beginning of this year, and because Dal Forno skipped over the 2014 vintage, this is the only Amarone we will see for a while (until the highly anticipated 2015 is released). The 2013 vintage is characterized by a slightly more streamlined mouthfeel (which isn't saying much given the baseline enormity of these wines) with carefully etched aromas of black cherry, rum cake, dark chocolate and toasted espresso. The 2013 vintage was balanced overall without the sudden heat waves we saw in the summers of 2011 and 2012. The grapes finished a slow and steady ripening process over an extended growing season. The effect is graceful and focused. Put this bottle aside in your cellar for the decades to come.

The 2013 Amarone della Valpolicella Monte Lodoletta needs time – and a lot of it – to show all of its charms. But worry not, because you can already find pleasure in its dramatic display of rich plums and cherries dipped in mocha-infused chocolate with a dusting of cinnamon sugar and sweet tobacco. This is black as night yet truly purple in color, with depths of concentrated wild berry fruits contrasted by zesty acids that do an amazing job of lifting the expression. Grippy tannins saturate slowly, sneaking up on you and lasting throughout the impossibly long black hole of a finish, where notes of licorice, bitters and a coating of cocoa powder linger. Wow. The 2013 is built for the cellar and with tons of upside potential. If you dare to delve into one of these while young, I’d suggest opening your bottle a number of hours prior to enjoying. That said, this will be worth the wait.

Absurdly intense on the nose, saturated in dark-plum essence, vanilla, tar, ash, mocha and light raisins. Somehow, this still manages to be fresh and elegant — that’s thanks in part to the fine nature of the tannins, which on the surface seem brash and burly. Full-bodied and very, very long, casting dark fruit deep and ingrained. A stunning blockbuster of a wine that will either thrill or disturb. Drink from 2025.