4.5 Vivino Stars (1,950+ Reviews!)

Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate called Zenato “one of the historic names in Valpolicella.”

Italy’s Valpolicella is world-renowned for being the birthplace of one of the most unique wine styles: Amarone. Produced from dried grapes, those potent, concentrated reds are the biggest wine style on the block in northeastern Italy. These are wines that make no apologies for being big, bold, and beautiful. And whenever Zenato releases a new Amarone vintage, Italian wine lovers are sure to take notice. Simply put, these guys hit an Amarone ‘home run’ every vintage.

The Amarone della Valpolicella Classico 2016 is the jewel of Zenato’s production, made from a careful selection of top grapes from the Valpolicella Classico area, grown in the Sant’Ambrogio township. The blend of traditional Amarone grapes (Corvina, Rondinella, Oseleta, and Croatina) are dried for four months, followed by slow fermentation with skin contact to produce Amarone’s unique flavor and silky tannin profile. Finally, the wine is aged for a full 36 months in large-format oak casks, and rested in bottles to achieve the perfect harmony of power and poise before release.

Vinous 94 Points
Zesty, vibrant and exotic, the 2016 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico makes a serious impression with its unique bouquet of dried roses, lime zest, cherry sauce, plums and a dusting of crushed violet candies. It’s silky and pliant in texture, motivated by juicy acids, with a mix of ripe strawberry, pomegranate and cranberry sauce, as balsamic spices and hints of almond come forward toward the close. There is so much going on here, as the 2016 resonates on wild berry fruit and sweet inner florals. This may be a more opulent expression of the vintage, but it’s built to last, and sure to win a lot of fans.