“Named for their father and made from 70 percent Corvina and Corvinone, 20 percent Rondinella, five percent Croatina, and five percent Oseleta.  It is a fresh wine with aromas of red cherry and blackberry, with floral notes and a touch of maple syrup and licorice.  It has rich flavors of dark cherry, black plums with whispers of violets and roses, rich and smooth in the mouth.  The goal of the Castagnedi brothers is to make an Amarone to serve wine with food.  They suggest that it’s not important to have a big elaborate dish for this wine.  The balance of ripe fruit flavors, lively acidity, ripe tannins and alcohol makes it a great partner for a simple steak.”      
 

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.

“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. “

Intense dried cranberry and steely blackcurrant on the nose. Balsamic, dried-herb and licoricy oak, too. Full and very concentrated on the palate with a focused, flavorful drive of spicy fruit and well-integrated tannins that pushes on and on. Tempting now, but best from 2023.

The 2017 Amarone della Valpolicella Campo dei Gigli is intense, like cracking open an ashen stone to find a bevy of dried black cherries, cinnamon sticks, incense and dried herbs. This is deeply textural with a balanced inner sweetness elevated by vibrant acidity as depths of tart red fruit balance and slowly saturates the palate in primary concentration. The 2017 finishes structured and dramatically long, begging for further cellaring, as a bitter tinge of currants and clove fade. Maybe splitting hairs, but I didn't believe that Tenuta Sant'Antonio could outdo their 2016 Campo dei Gigli, but over time the 2017 may be up to the task.

Dried cherry, dried cranberry, star anise, clove and a hint of pepper open the nose of this well-crafted Amarone. Soft and plush on the palate, highlighting dried cherry and loads of baking spices, the wine begins to reveal turned earth, bitter chocolate and floral notes as it opens. It’s really well-structured, with elegant tannins and the needed acidity to keep the wine in balance.

Notes of grilled game and tobacco balance this wine’s rich flavors of baked cherry, molten chocolate and licorice. Dark spices offset those flavors, and lively acidity cools the finish.

Packaged in a heavy glass bottle, the Tenuta Sant'Antonio 2018 Valpolicella Superiore Ripasso Monti Garbi is a mid-weight expression with a classic playlist of dried cherry and plum that segue to mild spice, tar and toasted chestnut. Ripasso is the quintessential midway wine between Valpolicella and Amarone, and its all-rounder appeal means it can pair with a wide variety of foods to enjoy in any informal occasion. The blend is 70% Corvina and Corvinone, 20% Rondinella, 5% Croatina and 5% Oseleta. It sees 12 months of oak aging.