Amarone della Valpolicella (2018)

About this wine

Roccolo Grassi’s 2018 Amarone is built around the classic Valpolicella quartet of Corvina Veronese, Corvinone, Rondinella, and a small touch of Croatina, giving it both depth and a slightly wilder edge. The nose leads with dried black cherry and ripe plum, then opens into cocoa, baking spice, and a hint of bitter almond that keeps it firmly in Amarone territory. On the palate it feels dense and smooth, with dark fruit concentration that reads more like macerated cherry than jam, and a savory twist that echoes dark chocolate. You will also catch a fresher citrus lift that shows up as blood orange, which is part of why this vintage can feel surprisingly poised for its size. Amarone exists because Valpolicella growers learned to concentrate flavor by partially drying grapes after harvest, and this wine carries that tradition in a modern, clean, controlled style with plenty of structure and a long finish.

About the grape

Corvina Veronese is the backbone of this Amarone, a centuries old Venetian variety prized for its thick skins and sour cherry character, it is planted here on volcanic basalt soils at about 200 to 250 meters and grown on pergola training to balance vigor and yield. Corvinone, a later identified relative of Corvina that came into common use in the 20th century, contributes deeper color and more tannin, and in this bottling it is used to add structure after the traditional appassimento drying period. Rondinella and Croatina play supporting roles, Rondinella for its reliability and high yield which helps produce the concentrated raisined fruit profile during drying, Croatina for a touch of dark color and savory backbone, all four varieties are harvested by hand and left to dry until early December before fermentation and extended oak ageing.

Quick facts

• 🌄 Roccolo Grassi takes its name from the single vineyard that surrounds the estate rather than the family surname, so the Amarone is literally named after its home plot.
• 🔒 This Amarone is made in very small quantities — in good years production can be as low as about 6,500 bottles, making it a boutique, hard-to-find release.
• 🧺 The grapes are hand‑picked into shallow trays and dried (appassimento) in naturally ventilated conditions until early December, a slow ritual that concentrates the flavours.
• 🪨 The vines grow on volcanic‑basaltic soils and are trained on traditional pergolas, a combination that the estate credits for the wine’s surprising mineral lift beneath its ripe fruitiness.
• 🎯 Winemaker Marco Sartori deliberately keeps yields extremely low (roughly 1 kg per vine) to create Amarone wines that punch far above their modest vine output in intensity and finesse.

Palate profile

Producer

Roccolo Grassi was founded in 1996 by Bruno Sartori and his children Marco and Francesca, evolving from a family wine tradition into a focused estate. The property concentrates on low yield, high quality viticulture across about 14 hectares, producing Valpolicella, Amarone and Soave that reflect their single vineyard approach. The siblings introduced more sustainable and organic practices from the late 1990s, and the winery is known for a restrained appassimento drying and careful oak maturation to preserve freshness and varietal character. Roccolo Grassi has become a regional reference for balance and terroir expression while remaining a family run estate with direct sales and tastings offered to visitors.