In Italian, the name Amarone literally means "Great Bitter," and was actually coined in 1936 within the very cellars of the Villa Mosconi in reference to a wine the Bertani family had been producing under the name "Recioto Secco," (Dry Recioto) to distinguish from the much sweeter Veronese Recioto also produced using the "apassimento" technique. This Amarone is the most intense of the Tenuta Santa Maria wines, with its characteristic aromas and complexity. The wine is ruby red in color with garnet reflections, and the impact of cherry preserves, spices, and dried rose petals lend complexity and elegance to the nose. Warm and subtle on the palate, it presents an important structure and high alcohol content, balanced by velvety tannins and bright acidity and freshness.
Medium bright ruby red in colour with subtle brightening on the rim. Intense aromas of ripe cherry, raspberry, plum, dried fig and candied orange on the nose, with a cinnamon and clove finish. Very fruit driven on the palate, velvety, juicy and balanced, with grippy tannins and a fruity finish.
With headquarters at Arbizzano near the bottom of the Negrar valley, the Bertani family produce a wide range of Veronese reds from the walled vineyards surrounding the magnificent, neoclassical, 18th century Villa Mosconi. Their Amarone is made as a Riserva, with five years of oak ageing. The wine shows a ripe and chocolatey nose of surprising freshness, and the palate lives up to this initial promise: balanced and firm with juicy fruit flavours. Plenty of life left ahead of it.
The 2017 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Riserva is youthfully understated, wafting up with a nuanced blend of dried black cherries, incense and spice. This flows across the palate with silky textures and ripe red and blue fruits as zesty acidity adds energy, and masses of bitter dark chocolate emerge toward the close. Remarkably fresh all the way through, this finishes long, staining and pleasantly tense, with a coating of fine tannins.
The darkly alluring 2016 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Riserva smolders up from the glass with a smoky mix of peppery florals, dried black cherries and dried citrus peels. This is silky in texture, with cooling acidity and mineral tones that perfectly set the stage for a spicy core of dark red fruits. The 2016 leaves a coating of fine tannins lingering. Dark chocolate nuances blend with blood orange through the dramatically long and classically structured finale. This is a wonderfully complete Amarone. All the 2016 needs is more time in the cellar to blossom fully.
Sweet violets and roses give way to black cherries, balsamic spices and white smoke as the incredibly pretty 2015 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Riserva blossoms in the glass. This is an undeniably elegant and refined style, casting a polished display of licorice-tinged blackberries and savory herbs across a core of brisk acidity. The resulting expression is quite savory, tapering off long with building tannic tension that grows with each sip. Rich notes of mocha contrast fresh mint and salty minerals, as this finishes impossibly long with an umami feel. The 2015 gets an official “wow” in my book.
Fresh and spicy nose of dried berries and flowers with sandalwood and cedar. Full-bodied, yet very dry and racy, with firm tannins. Racy and long. Dried dark chocolate. Walnut, too. Real Amarone character. Drink or hold.
Bright ruby-red. Slightly reductive on the nose, followed by dried tomatoes, slight savoury tones as well as red berries. On the palate very juicy and with compact, tight tannins, unfurling beautiful savoury tones, and fruit. An elegant character with great length.
The Tenuta Santa Maria di Gaetano Bertani 2015 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Riserva is a long, polished and flowing wine that offers lots of aromatic detail. At first, it shows plenty of ripe blackberry and Morello cherry, with the baked aromas you can expect of a hot and sunny vintage such as 2015. Then, you get toasted spice, tar and licorice. In terms of Amarone, which is almost always an exceedingly full-bodied wine, this expression is slightly more slender and accessible. It has plenty of power though, with 16% alcohol, which is contained within the solid frame of this northern Italian red. The blend is 75% Corvina, 15% Corvinone and 10% Rondinella. Production is 12,000 bottles.
A subtle Amarone, with supple tannins providing gentle definition for flavors of baked cherry, dates and accents of spiced orange peel and medicinal herbs. A touch of loamy earth lingers on the chewy finish. Corvina, Corvinone and Rondinella. Drink now through 2025. 2,083 cases made, 1,040 cases imported.
Ripe to the nose, it highlights the character of withering with sweet notes of strawberries, dried red plums and sweet almonds. Full body, soft tannins and an enveloping finish. Drink now.
This ruby red wine has garnet reflections on the body. The notes of preserved cherry, spices and dried rose petal add complexity and elegance to this wine. The palate has refreshing warmth and subtlety. It is well-structured and and reflects hogh alcohol content. All in one, it's a perfect wine, well- balanced by tannins and elegant and refreshing acidity. Received the Gold Medal.
The wine has a ruby red color with garnet reflections. The impact of preserved cherry, spices, and dried rose petal lend complexity and elegance to the nose. To the palate, it has warmth and subtlety, well-structured and with a high alcohol content, balanced by velvety tannins and an elegant acidity and freshness.
Lovely complex nose of plums, liquorice, cherry brandy, subtle leather, tobacco and spice.Lush and velvety tannins on the palate, with sweet cherries, cloves and nutmeg, this is round and generous with a beautiful length.
The 2013 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Riserva manages to deliver all of the richness, opulence and dark intense fruit that you’d hope for, in an unbelievably vibrant and pretty expression. Blackberries, currants, cinnamon, clove, cedar and mocha create an initially intense burst of aromatics. Hints of stone dust and dried roses evolve in the glass, adding further depth yet also freshness over time. The textures here are elegance personified, as wave after wave of silken ripe red fruits and spices washes across the palate, all guided by juicy acids that create a pure and high-energy expression. Notions of tart cherry, licorice, bitters and baker’s chocolate linger for well over a minute. Amarone is often called a wine of meditation, and the 2013 fits that bill perfectly.
The dried fruit and spices, as well as figs, are very persuasive and attractive. Full body. Round and soft tannins with delicious fruit and a savory, fruity finish. All in reserve and balance. Drink now or hold.
Dark garnet, starting to mature. Distinguished, creamy, finely spiced nose, touches of animal, eau-de-vie and overripe fruit (figs, plums). Structured, dense and expansive on the palate, revealing great depth and an exotic side. Sumptuous, classical.
Received the rating of Silver Medal for extraordinary wines.
Dark garnet red. Showing a bouquet of dried cherries and plums and Christmas cake spice that are mirrored on the palate, the 2013 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Riserva is of medium weight with a tart edge that reflects the cool wet autumn weather of the vintage. A blend of 75% Corvina. 10% Rondinella, 15% Corvinone dried 4-5 months before pressing and fermentation then matured 5 years in large botti.
The 2013 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Riserva opens to a dark garnet color with crimson background tones. This is a powerful, full-bodied red with aromas of sour cherry, red currant and dried cranberry. The blend is 75% Corvina, 15% Corvinone and 10% Rondinella, and this Riserva ages in large oaks casks ofr four years. There is a sour note to this vintage that creates a sudden contrast to the background sweetness you usually get with Amarone, making it a good bet for Korean meat dishes or moo shu beef. Some 26,000 bottles were made, including magnums and other large formats.
This opens with aromas of violet, cooking spices and underbrush. The firm, brawny palate shows dried black cherry, star anise and black pepper alongside polished tannins. Drink through 2027. Indigenous Selections.
A bright and fresh Amarone della Valpolicella, with an expressive cherry fruit and floral note on the nose. Clean and balanced with an elegant texture and good length. Highly recommended.
Intense, bright ruby red. Elegant nose of ripe raspberries, forest fruits, slightly after leather. Balanced on the palate with elegant acidity and fine enamel, looks very delicate and fresh, at the same time still young, ends clearly and full of finesse in the finale.
Deep ruby. The nose shows young perfumes of stewed black fruits and fine herbs. The palate is fleshy and firm with tightly-wound, elegant tannins. An age-worthy, generous wine all-poised for a great future. Will reach its peak in a few year's time.
Red and black fruit nose; the palate is silky, lively and fresh with a long, toasty-vanilla finish. This is a classy style.
An elegant Amarone, well-balanced and medium- to full-bodied, featuring fine tannins that provide light tension to the flavors of crushed cherry and dried fig, showing hints of loamy earth, licorice and dried thyme. Round and lingering, with a spiced finish. Drink now through 2025.
Pressed violet, allspice, baked plum and cake spice aromas lead the nose. The densely concentrated palate offers dried black cherry, star anise, clove and tobacco alongside firm, refined tannins. Drink 2019–2026.
The 2012 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Riserva shows the elegance and understated nature of the vintage through a refined display of spiced black cherries, plum sauce, cacao, lavender and sweet violets. This impresses with its soft and silky textures, coming across as feminine and poised, with tart wild berries and dark chocolate finding a cooling balance with bright acidity. The finish is slightly shorter than I’d prefer, yet it’s enjoyable all the same, with mineral underpinnings and dark inner florals.
A linear and tight red with a dried-berry , citrus and berry character. Medium body, juicy fruit and light dry tannins. Drink now.
Pressed rose, violet, forest floor, baked plum and cake spice aromas emerge on this full-bodied red. The concentrated palate also has finesse, offering dried cherry, licorice, cinnamon and pipe tobacco framed in fresh acidity and back of firm but refined tannins. Drink 2017-2025.