Amarone della Valpolicella Classico (2013)

About this wine

This Amarone opens with intense aromas of black cherry, dried plum and dark berry fruit, followed by notes of tobacco, leather and baking spice. The palate is concentrated and ripe, showing layers of dried red fruit, black chocolate and a hint of orange peel, with firm but polished tannins. Texture is dense and velvety, supported by bright but integrated acidity that keeps the wine focused. The production follows the traditional appassimento method, with grapes dried about 120 days before fermentation, and the wine spends extended time aging in oak. The blend is primarily Corvina and Corvinone with Rondinella, from the Squarano estate in the Valpolicella Classica, and the bottle shows the structure and length typical of Marchesi Fumanelli Amarone.

About the grape

Corvina is the traditional backbone of Valpolicella and in this bottling it supplies structure and aromatic lift, it is a native Verona variety prized for late ripening and the ability to concentrate flavors during the appassimento drying phase. Corvinone was for a long time confused with Corvina but is now recognised as a separate variety and here it is used at equal proportion to add larger berries, thicker skins and extra colour and body which make it especially suited to drying for Amarone. Rondinella is a long used supporting grape in Valpolicella blends, valued more for dependable yields and disease resistance than for bold flavors, and on this estate it helps ensure even drying and consistent sugar concentration across the 120 day appassimento. All three varieties are cultivated on older vines trained largely to the pergola veronese system in the Classico hills, which aids air circulation during appassimento and reflects local vineyard tradition.

Quick facts

• 🏰 The Fumanelli estate traces winemaking on its Squarano hill back to 1470, and the property still contains Roman era fragments and a villa from the 1600s making the wine feel like a sip of local history
• 🍇 For the Amarone 2013 the grapes undergo appassimento for about 120 days in their lofts, losing roughly 35 to 40 percent of their weight which concentrates the flavors and sugars
• ⚖️ The blend for this Amarone is notable for using equal parts Corvina and Corvinone at around 40 percent each, with Rondinella making up the rest, a choice that boosts ripe cherry and spice character
• 🛢️ Before bottling this wine spends around 30 months ageing in French tonneaux which gives it a plush texture and pronounced vanilla and toast notes without overpowering the fruit
• 🏅 The 2013 vintage from Marchesi Fumanelli earned strong critic praise including high scores from well known publications, which helped raise its profile among collectors and Amarone fans

Palate profile

Producer

Marchesi Fumanelli traces its estate, Tenuta di Squarano, back to 1470, when the family established vineyards on the remains of Roman installations. The property sits in the heart of Valpolicella Classica and contains archaeological vestiges including inscriptions and remnants of a temple dedicated to the goddess Flora. The family has passed winemaking knowledge through many generations and reopened and modernized historic tufa cellars in the late 1990s while keeping manual harvesting and estate only grape sourcing. Today the estate focuses on native Valpolicella varieties and blends traditional techniques with sustainable practices to express the unique limestone soils and local microclimate.