Amarone della Valpolicella Classico La Bastia (2022)

About this wine

La Bastìa is an Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG from Tinazzi’s Ca’ de’ Rocchi, made primarily from Corvina and Corvinone with a smaller portion of Rondinella. The grapes are dried after harvest until December, concentrating flavor and potential alcohol before a long maceration and fermentation of about 20 days at cool, controlled temperatures. In the glass it shows deep ruby color that can lean garnet as it opens, with a nose built around dried cherry, ripe red berries and prune, plus balsamic spice and a hint of chocolate. On the palate it is full bodied and dry, with dense fruit, firm but rounded tannins, and the warm, savory lift that is typical of Amarone made from partially dried grapes. Maturation is done in a mix of French and American oak in medium and large barrels for roughly 12 to 18 months, adding subtle vanilla, toast and spice without covering the fruit. The style is powerful but balanced, and even with its richness it stays focused, finishing long with echoes of dried fruit, cocoa and spice.

About the grape

Corvina is the historic backbone grape of Valpolicella, native to the hills around Verona, prized because its thick skins and naturally high acidity help it hold up during the traditional drying process used for Amarone. In the 2020 Ca de Rocchi La Bastia, Tinazzi blends Corvina with Corvinone to make up 90 percent of the wine, using fruit from selected hillside vineyards around 150 to 300 metres, then withering the bunches until December before fermentation. Corvinone was long confused with Corvina but modern ampelography and DNA work confirmed it as a separate variety, and its larger, looser clusters and later ripening make it especially suited to appassimento, which is why many producers, including Tinazzi, lean on it for Amarone. Rondinella, a local variety valued for its steady yields and strong disease resistance, typically brings reliable color and blend support, and here it completes the mix at 10 percent after the same drying regimen.

Quick facts

• 🍇 La Bastìa is made from grapes that are dried (appassite) in a drying loft until December, then fermented on the skins for about 20 days to build that classic Amarone concentration.
• 🪵 It’s matured 12 to 18 months in a mix of French and American oak, and Tinazzi even uses multiple barrel sizes (5, 20 and 40 hectolitres) to fine tune oak impact.
• ⛰️ This Amarone comes from selected hillside vineyards in Valpolicella at roughly 150 to 300 meters above sea level, a distinctly “hill” take on the zone rather than valley floor fruit.
• 🧫 Ca’ de’ Rocchi wines (including La Bastìa) are made with native yeasts that live on the grape skins, so the fermentation is literally driven by the vineyard’s own microflora.
• 🛢️ The producer’s surname is wine trivia in itself: in old Veronese tradition “tinazzi” were barrel like containers used for fermenting pressed grapes, tying the Tinazzi family name directly to winemaking lore.

Palate profile

Producer

Ca' de' Rocchi is a distinguished line of wines produced by the Tinazzi family, who have been crafting wines since 1968. Founded by Eugenio Tinazzi and his son Gian Andrea in a small cellar in the Veneto region, the family has expanded their operations over the decades, emphasizing both tradition and innovation. The Ca' de' Rocchi range is known for its approachable and fresh wines, appealing to modern palates while honoring the rich heritage of the region. Notably, the line includes the acclaimed 'Campo delle Rose' Chiaretto di Bardolino DOP, a rosé that reflects the family's commitment to quality and authenticity.