Descrizione
Just by naming Giuseppe Quintarelli one already thinks of the perfection of the wines sons of the land of Valpolicella: Amarone, Superiore, Recioto and then Rosso del Bepi, Primofiore, Bianco Secco. However, it is imperative to remember that Quintarelli, as the great man of the land and cellar that he was, while firmly anchored in the traditions of his land, also saw potential in it that was hidden to most. Having made Amarone immense has never stopped him from experimenting and looking to the future, to the new challenges of oenology related to the comparison on international markets and to the progressive changing tastes of the new generations. Among the first to introduce Italian and international allochthonous grape varieties to Valpolicella, with constant study and a broad vision of oenology capable of transcending local boundaries, he now gives us an absolutely unique Veronese-style Bordeaux blend.
Born from a forgotten plot, later revived and brought up to the highest yields of Cabernet and Merlot, 350 meters above sea level in Negrar territory, on limestone-basalt soils, Alzero is an “Amarone Bordolese” in the sense that the most famous Girondine red grapes follow a similar path to Corvina & co. from vineyard to barrel.
After a manual harvest at the turn of August, as in the case of Amarone, the grapes are placed on racks and wooden crates in fruit lofts, where a slow drying process begins until the end of the year. It all happens very slowly, without haste: after all, one has to make one of the best and perhaps least known Italian reds, patience and utmost care are needed during the crushing, fermentation and maceration phases before the (first) passage into barrels and natural aging for five long years.
The tasting confirms how you have in your hands a great wine, different from Amarone both in color, concentration and nose but broad in all its nuances and with a very long finish that also suits it well for meditation.
Alzero is produced in a few bottles, usually less than 5,000 and only in high quality yield years, such as 2011. Impossible, therefore, not to jealously guard it in one’s collection, just like the stamp dedicated to Bepi Quintarelli by the Republic of San Marino in 2005.