Monte dall'Ora, 'La Stropa' Amarone della Valpolicella Classico, Veneto, Italy, 2013

Overview of the Wine
Located in the center of Valpolicella on one of the five ridges that descend the valley (which resemble the fingers of a hand), Monte Dall'Ora is the creation of Carlo Venturini and his wife Alessandra Zantedeschi. Both are from vignaioli families, but decided to start fresh with their own estate in 1995. At the time, the purchased terraces were in terrible condition and everything had to be rebuilt.

Vines are either selection massale or grafted on American rootstock. Carlo has chosen to work with (and in some cases, replant) the region's traditional varietals: Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella, and Oseleta (a lost indigenous grape). The estate was worked organically until 2006, when the couple converted to biodynamic agriculture. The soils are unique to their particular ridge and are composed of limestone with a reddish hue. The first 15 meters are very soft and porous, permitting the vines' roots to penetrate deep in the subsoil.

The vines are all trained in the pergola style. Carlo thought about training the vines in Guyot, but quickly changed his mind for reasons of climate and quality control. In many regions, growers continue to use pergola because this vine tending system produces very high yields; while often inconsequential to the health of the grapes, the widespread justification is that is necessary to protect the fruit from the sun. In Valpolicella's case, this is actually true: Corvina and Corvinone are both very susceptible to sunlight. They are also very vigorous varietals: with guyot, bunches would get too big and become prone to illness. Pergola creates more air and space between clusters; the plants are more separated, which results in smaller and more concentrated bunches.

Biodynamic.

Grape / Blend
40% Corvina, 30% Corvinone, 20% Rondinella, 10% Oseleta & Molinar

Origin
Veneto, Italy

Winemaker's Tasting Notes
Harvest for the amarone happens 2-3 weeks before same for Saseti and Saustò in order ensure higher-acid, fully healthy fruit. Each bunch is carefully selected by hand in multiple passes through the vineyard. The bunches are placed in single layers in small, slatted wooden boxes that are stacked in the open-sided fruttaio next to the house/cellar. The drying process lasts around 4 months in this well-ventilated, cool space. The fruit is then destemmed, gently crushed and dropped into low-sided, open-topped oak vats. Fermentation is entirely spontaneous and takes 30 to 40 days with daily foot-treading; it goes to near-total dryness (1-2 grams maximum of residual sugar). The wine is aged in a 25-hectoliter botte for 3 years, followed by 2.5 more years in bottle. It is named for the stropa or "switch" from the native weeping willow, used historically in Valpolicella and by Monte dall'Ora to tie the vines to their pergolas; each wax-capped bottle is adorned with an actual stropa as well. While DOCG law permits the use of up to half of a harvest for amarone production, Monte dall'Ora restricts it to 15-20% of theirs in order to maintain their hands-on, top-quality standard.

From certified-biodynamic estate vines ranging from 25-65 years old, the same ones from which Monte dall'Ora makes their entry-level Saseti and their ripasso Saustò. The vineyard is a south-facing hillside of ancient terraces that have been slowly restored by the Venturini family over time (segments of it are still consist of old stone walls overgrown completely with trees, wild vines and other plant life). The vines are cultivated in pergola rather than in guyot, all the better to see and manage the plants as well as to protect the bunches from the sun and to keep them far from the moisture of the ground. The soils are crumbly limestone over limestone mother rock.

95 Points - Vinous
The darkly alluring 2013 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Stropa smolders up from the glass with a beguiling mix of ground ginger, crushed ashen stone, sugar-dusted black cherries and cloves. This floods the palate with an intense wave of ripe medicinal cherry and blackberry, accentuated by a pretty inner sweetness yet contrasted by a pop of brisk acidity that adds tension toward the close. The 2013 finishes dramatically long and primary with youthfully grippy tannins and a potent staining of residual fruits. Cedar and licorice hints slowly fade. So powerful but also energetic, the 2013 has outstanding cellaring potential.

Product size: 750ml