Guerrieri Rizzardi Amarone Della Valpolicella "Calcarole"

Guerrieri Rizzardi Amarone Della Valpolicella “Calcarole”

WHY WE LOVE IT

  • Calcarole, basically a giant limestone rock with vines atop it, is a “cru” above the Villa di Rovereti in the heart of Negrar in the Valpolicella Classico Area – It is an unusually warm site for the region, with southwestern exposure, and unquestionably one of the most revered vineyards in the DOC.
  • Many producers craft their Amarone to be “meditative,” i.e. something to drink and think about after dinner – Rizzardi crafts this Amarone as something to enjoy with dinner.
  • “Tre Bicchieri,” Gambero Rosso for the current vintage and for 9 out of the last 11 vintages as well.
  • The 2011 vintage was the #3 ranked wine out of 166 Amarones tasted in Decanter’s comprehensive tasting in April of 2017.

Varietal Composition: Corvina 70%, Rondinella 10%, Barbera 10%, Sangiovese 7%, Corvinone 3%,

Elaboration: Hand picked. Made from 100% dried grapes, that have been raisened in a drying room for 3.5 months. Long, slow fermentation of one month followed by malolactic fermentation in oak. 12 months in 5 hl oak barrels and then 24 months in 25 hl oak barrels.

Tasting Notes: Often described as elegant in style Calcarole is an Amarone that balances power and concentration with freshness and purity of intense, dark berried fruit.

PRESS

2011 – 91 Wine Enthusiast | 93 Decanter | 94+ Vinous

2013 – 94 Vinous

2015 – 94 Vinous

2016 – 96 Vinous

PRODUCER BACKGROUND

Guerrieri-Rizzardi, the historic house in Veneto, dates back to the unification of two ancient estates in 1913, when Carlo Rizzardi from Valpolicella, married Guiseppina Guerrieri of Bardolino. From the 1950s Antonio Rizzardi managed and developed the estates, focusing on viticulture and in the 1970s he acquired the estate in Soave. 2011 saw the opening of the new winery on the hills of Bardolino. The result of a long-term plan to re-locate and modernize the entire production process. Rizzardi’s new winery is completely solar powered, combining the best that technology offers in a carbon neutral way with vineyards that have been in the family for centuries. With extensive holdings of “cru” acreage, the family is well known throughout Europe for their sensational, mineral rich example of Soave Classico, the tension driven Ripasso they produce from Pojega, and most importantly for making one of the most classical and age-worthy examples of single vineyard Amarone in the region.

Print Review Shelf Talker (2011 – 94+ VInous)
Print Review Shelf Talker (2013 – 94 VInous)