Amarone della Valpolicella del Fondatore (2019)

About this wine

This Amarone is a full bodied red showing concentrated aromas of dried dark cherry, plum, prune, violets, cocoa and baker's spice. The grapes are from the Valpolicella blend of Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella and Molinara with approximately 60 percent Corvina, 20 percent Corvinone and 20 percent Rondinella. The fruit is dried by appassimento in the lofts until January before fermentation, then the wine is aged about three years in large Slavonian oak casks. On the palate it is rich and plush, with a dense mid palate, soft velvet like tannins and a saline lift on the finish. Alcohol is around 15.5 percent, and the wine shows long aromatic persistence with a tobacco and licorice thread that appears with time in the glass.

About the grape

Corvina is the traditional backbone of Valpolicella blends and in this Amarone it provides the primary structure and drying potential, it has long been selected in local clones for good skin phenolics and is typically cultivated on the classic pergola and Guyot training systems on the calcareous clay soils of the Valpolicella hills. Corvinone was for many years confused with Corvina until ampelographic and DNA work established it as a separate variety, it ripens later and gives larger berries with thick skins that respond especially well to the appassimento drying phase used by Montresor to add body and deeper colour. Rondinella is prized in the region for its reliability and disease resistance, it is widely planted for consistent yields and its role in blends is to support colour and aromatic complexity while allowing producers to manage the drying racks with less rot risk. Molinara was historically important for adding lively acidity and a light spicy lift, its plantings have declined but when included in the Fondatore cuvee it is used in small amounts to soften tannins and preserve freshness after the long drying and extended oak ageing.

Quick facts

• 🏛️ The wine is named to honor the house founder Giacomo Montresor, the family that moved from France to the Veneto in the 19th century and established the cellars in 1892
• 🌿 Grapes are left to dry on traditional wooden racks until January, a slow appassimento that concentrates sugars and gives Amarone its raisin and cherry in spirit character
• 🔥 This 2019 bottling is a bold, high alcohol expression at about 15.5 percent by volume, typical for Amarone and part of its powerful, long lived personality
• 🏷️ Montresor calls it Cantina Privata del Fondatore on some labels, signaling a tribute release from the family cellars rather than a generic brand bottling
• 🪵 The wine spends around three years in large Slavonian oak casks, a gentle aging choice that brings depth without erasing the native Corvina and Corvinone fruit character

Palate profile

Producer

Cantine Giacomo Montresor, established in 1892 by Giacomo Montresor, is a historic winery located in Verona, Italy. The Montresor family's winemaking heritage dates back to the 17th century when they migrated from France to the Veneto region near Lake Garda. In 1921, Giacomo Montresor innovated by introducing the satin-finished bottle, designed to protect wine during long overseas voyages, which became a distinctive feature of their brand. In 2022, the winery celebrated its 130th anniversary by inaugurating a Wine Museum that offers an immersive experience into the history, culture, and territory of their wines.