This producer is in top form, embellishing a brilliant line of whites with very good reds. Pointed aromas of dried tobacco, Morello cherries, kirsch and anise. A brilliant confluence of crunch, sap and extract, none of the component overwhelming the others, although the power of the wine is clear. Leaves the impression of freshness over tiring sweet fruit. This is a very fine, contemporary expression of Amarone that demands attention. Long, detailed and immensely classy. Drinkable now, but best from 2027.

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.

“Campo dei Gigli is the name of the vineyard, and the grapes come from vines that are around 50 years old, the Castagnedi family’s oldest vines.  It is a limited production wine made only in the bast vintages.  It is fermented in open barrels with indigenous yeasts for 25 to 30 days, then the barrels are closed, skins included for 10 to 18 days.  Skins are removed, and the wine is transferred to new 500 liter French oak barrels.  This wine has a residual sugar of 8 grams per liter (.08 percent), so the wine is aged in Allier oak to contrast with residual sugar, giving the wine more vanilla.  Campo dei Gigli ages three years in new casks.  Layered flavors of dried cherries, plums, spice and leather combine with chalky tannins and a slight, pleasantly bitter note in the finish.”     
 

Remarkably pretty, yet dark and intense, the 2018 Amarone della Valpolicella Campo dei Gigli bursts from the glass with dusty notes of dried roses, balsamic spice, tobacco, dark chocolate and dried black cherries. Seamless and elegant in style, this envelops the palate with ripe red and blue fruits, taking on a bitter tinge of mocha and espresso toward the close. It finishes long and staining, with a coating of fine-grained tannins that adds a classically dry impression while minty herbal tones maintain freshness. This transcends the 2018 vintage, yet patience will be required.

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.

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.

“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.”    

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.