Lots of silky, sweet black-fruit and lead-pencil minerals here. Full-bodied with still lightly firm, fruit-soaked tannins and a long, controlled finish that introduces some orange-peel freshness. Delicious now, but will go on.
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Most of the historic producers of Valpolicella are located on the western side of the denomination, but the Valpolicella district stretches east across several hills and valleys almost to Soave, and it is in this eastern zone that some new, exciting, and innovative wineries have been established in recent decades. The soils in the eastern Valpolicella have a higher component of calcium carbonate, which imparts a higher acidity and bolder cherry fruit character to the wines.
Antonio Castagnedi was a winegrower in the Illasi Valley of eastern Valpolicella in the late 20th century who left 50 acres of vineyards to his four sons. The brothers Armando, Tiziano, Paolo, and Massimo worked as consultants for other wine estates in Italy and continued to grow grapes on their inherited land in Colognola ai Colli, but had bigger dreams. In 1989, they took the next step, buying another 75 acres of top-quality vineyard land on the high terrain of Monti Garbi (also in eastern Valpolicella) and making the leap into wine production as a family. The first vintage of Tenuta Sant’Antonio came in 1995.
Tenuta Sant’Antonio Valpolicellas are made from 100% estate-grown fruit from the Illasi Valley and Monti Garbi. With their considerable combined winegrowing experience, the Castagnedi brothers devote meticulous attention to their high-density, low-yield vineyards to provide grapes of such exceptional quality that they require minimal intervention during winemaking. At harvest time, the grapes for Amarone are harvested on a first pass through the vineyards, and those for the regular Valpolicella are harvested on the second pass. In this way, the basic Valpolicella gets a portion of the best grapes and is an exceptional value for the price. Also, because the Amarone is harvested earlier, the grapes’ sugar level is lower, so the alcohol level of the Amarone is not excessive. This strategy also dictates that Tenuta Sant’Antonio makes Amarone only in years when the overall harvest quality is high enough to support making the full Valpolicella lineup.
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LOCATIONWINERY: Lavagno (Verona province), Veneto VINEYARD: Eastern Valpolicella and Soave areas, Veneto VIEW IN GOOGLE MAPS REGION DETAILS |
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94
OCTOBER 2021
Tenuta Sant’Antonio "Campo dei Gigli" Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG 2010
![]() Lots of silky, sweet black-fruit and lead-pencil minerals here. Full-bodied with still lightly firm, fruit-soaked tannins and a long, controlled finish that introduces some orange-peel freshness. Delicious now, but will go on. 92+
MARCH 2023
Tenuta Sant'Antonio “Monti Garbi” Valpolicella Ripasso Superiore DOC 2020
![]() The 2020 Valpolicella Superiore Ripasso Monti Garbi is wickedly spice and intense, opening with a whiff of crushed ashen stone and smokey black cherries. Its textures are silky and pure, with a savory mix of sour wild berries and salty mineral tones. This finishes with tremendous length yet energetic, leaving black currant and mocha hints to linger. 91
JANUARY 2021
Tenuta Sant'Antonio “Monti Garbi” Valpolicella Ripasso Superiore DOC 2017
![]() “Ripasso, or repassed, describes the process in which a dry Valpolicella wine that goes through a second fermentation with the skins and seeds of a recently fermented Amarone, made from dried grapes. It gives this wine its richness and dried fruit aromas. It has a light ruby color with orange notes. Fresh floral aromas, roses, savory sweet/sour flavors, crisp mouthwatering savory, saline cherry, strawberry fruit is intense and lively in the mouth, finishing with sturdy, yet smooth tannins.” 96
DECEMBER 2021
Tenuta Sant’Antonio "Campo dei Gigli" Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG 2016
![]() The Tenuta Sant'Antonio 2016 Amarone della Valpolicella Campo dei Gigli (packaged in a very heavy eco-unfriendly glass bottle) is a dark and brooding wine packed tight with richly concentrated black fruit delivered in thick and lasting layers. The bouquet peels back to reveal dark plum and baked blackberry, but there is also a major focus on spice, tar, barbecue smoke and teriyaki. The wine makes a wide and large impact on the palate. It shows enormous textural richness and softly integrated tannins. You can age this blend of 70% Corvina and Corvinone, 20% Rondinella, 5% Croatina and 5% Oseleta (that sees three years in barrel) over the long haul. 90
JANUARY 2021
Tenuta Sant'Antonio “Nanfrè” Valpolicella DOC 2018
![]() “This is a delightful wine with fresh spicy, floral aromas, juicy cherry, strawberry fruit, crisp acidity and ripe, integrated tannins. The blend is 70% Corvina and 30% Rondinella from grapes selected from the winery’s youngest vines. Fermented in temperature-controlled stainless for eight to ten days, it then spends six months in stainless steel on lees stirred weekly. The closure is a glass stopper. The goal of the producer was to rediscover the original style from 30 years ago or before. Their aim is to “create a style, not necessarily strong or rich, but light with 12.5 alcohol. A wine that is fruity and at the same time with some spicy notes, like pepper and a note like we have in our limestone soil.” They did it. “ 93
JUNE 2021
Tenuta Sant’Antonio "Campo dei Gigli" Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG 2016
![]() Very potent aromas of blackcurrants and toasted oak with hints of eucalyptus and black-cherry liqueur, following through to a full palate with firm tannins that drive the fruit on through the long finish. There’s a kind of raw, almost rough-and-ready character to this that’s a bit hard work now. Will even out with bottle age. One for the cellar. Try from 2024. 93
MARCH 2023
Tenuta Sant’Antonio “Antonio Castagnedi” Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG 2018
![]() The 2018 Amarone della Valpolicella Antonio Castagnedi opens with a dusty mix of black currants and lavender offset by clove and mocha hints. This shows the lift and finesse of the vintage while imparting undeniable elegance as depths of ripe red fruits are offset by a bitter tinge of dark chocolate. The 2018 finishes structured with fine-grained tannins, licorice and inner violet florals. 94+
DECEMBER 2021
Tenuta Sant’Antonio “Antonio Castagnedi” Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG 2016
![]() Packaged in a heavy glass bottle, the Tenuta Sant'Antonio 2016 Amarone della Valpolicella Antonio Castagnedi is a beautifully full and generous wine. If offers a full load of fruit weight and manages to do so without losing freshness or crispness. The bouquet delivers elements of dark cherry, blackcurrant and blackberry preserves, and those dark tones transition to sweet tones of spice, licorice and tar. This is a full-bodied and thoroughly contemporary expression that translates to the palate with lively energy and lots of Amarone power. Fruit comes from a hillside vineyard with sandy limestone soils and white calcareous rocks at a breezy 300 meters in elevation. The traditional blend used by this estate is 70% Corvina and Corvinone, 20% Rondinella, 5% Croatina and 5% Oseleta. The wine ages in oak for two long years. |