Elegance in Amarone
A masterclass in all senses from Bertani
It is both delightful and astonishing to me that one Italian region should make both Valpolicella and Amarone, or more properly, Amarone della Valpolicella Classico to give it its full name. You have to say the whole thing and stretch out the ‘a’ in Classico for it to have its full, romantic Italian impact, as opposed to its humdrum Anglo-Saxon abbreviation. In some ways these two wines often taste like they should be from the other sides of the world, not the same region, let alone made from fruit from the same vineyards.
A masterclass at the recent Decanter Italy Experience was a chance to hear from Andrea Lonardi MW, head winemaker and COO at Bertani, and Michelle Cherutti-Kowal MW who was co-hosting, about the evolution of the Bertani style in recent years, the pursuit of elegance in the wines, and the increasing preoccupation with making sure that there is a territorial flavour connection between the two extremes of Valpolicella and Amarone, rather than just differing winemaking approaches.
Founded in 1857, Bertani, based in the Negrar valley in the heart of Valpolicella Classico, is a long-established name in the region. The company focussed on making dry wines even in the early days and even though many wines in the region were traditionally bottled with some residual grape sugars to soften the wines. This commitment to age-worthy fine wine has distinguished their production.
The tasting looked initally at the Bertani production in the Valpantena region, to the east of Valpolicella Classica and in the heart of the wider Valpolicella DOC. These wines had great energy and freshness, while the Classico wines showed more depth and complexity and tannin structure. Andrea raised a querulous laugh from the tasters when he declared himself “a kind of Taliban” drinker when it comes to the wines, preferring the extremes of Valpolicalla and Amarone, and finding the middle way — Ripasso — less appealing. His view is widespread among his contemporaries, yet Ripasso is a powerful commercial category.
Much like Andrea, I’m a Valpolicella or Amarone kind of guy. While I loved the Valpolicella (give me tangy acidity and sour cherries and tomato stalks, and preferably at least half a bottle with dinner) it was pretty clear that everyone was there for the Amarone, especially given that 2005, 2008 and 2013 were being shown. Bertani are special because they have a huge commercial library of back vintages of Amarone which they make available for sale, and 2013 was in fact their current release.
The Tasting
Wines were tasted in three flights, first the Valpentena wines, then the two single vineyard Classico wines, then the Classico Amarone vintages. There was much excitement, and the poor woman next to me managed within the first five minutes to knock an entire glass of wine over her tasting companion, tasting sheet and all. A reminder that one must operate tenderly at such elaborately set tastings.
On the map below, you can see the dark purple area surrounding Fumane which is Valpolicella Classico, the lilac area around Grezzano, which is Valpantena, and the lighter area which is the wider Valpolicella DOC. We only tasted from the first two regions. Map taken as a screenshot from the Consorzio Valpolicella DOC
Bertani Valpolicella Valpantena 2022 — 90 points
Sour dark cherry fruits, a touch of herbaceous grape stalk, in a nice way. A little lick of fresh pepper on the finish. Simple, nicely carried by its tangy acidity, this is incredibly easy to like. It’s not complex, but it gets extra points in the ephemeral category of ‘joy’. 80% Corvina, 20% Rondinella
Bertani Valpolicella Valpantena Ripasso 2020 — 88 points
More soft dark cherry fruit here and a touch of cola bottle sweetness, plus a little dusting of cocoa powder to the finish, with 20% of the wine ageing in oak for six months. The profile is sweeter, although the wine is fully dry. 70% Corvina, 20% Corvinone, 10% Rondinella.
Bertani Amarone della Valpolicella Valpantena 2020 — 92 points
Dried for three months on trays, this shows more overt cocoa powder, cured meats and charcoal with ripe black cherries and more pronounced tannins. Andrea highlighted that this is made in an air-conditioned room that more easily produces good Amarone than the traditional method. Like so many Italian producers, the move has been away from barriques towards Slavonian casks for ageing. 80% Corvina, 20% Rondinella.
Bertani ‘Ognisanti di Novare’ Valpolicella Classico Superiore 2020 — 90 points
One of two single vineyard wines bottled, this took us away from Valpantena and back towards the Negrar valley and Valpolicella Classico. Named for the chapel in a 3.5ha vineyard, this was a good wine with creamy red and black cherry fruit on a bigger scale but still with the important sourness that characterises authentic Valpolicella. There’s less herbal character here than the equivalent Valpentena, and a little more sweet strawberry, and it altogether feels less angular and a little softer and more modern around the edges. A touch of pleasantly bitter chinotto to the finish. 95% Corvina, 5% Rondinella
Bertani ‘Catullo’ Valpolicella Classico Superiore Ripasso 2019 — 90 points
Andrea describes this as his “vision for Ripasso for the future” and it’s his second single vineyard wine. Notably silky with toned down tang, this had fine, slightly sandy tannins in a polished, succulent style. Smooth red cherry and ripe red fruits lead into a long finish. 70% Corvina, 20% Corvinone, 10% Rondinella
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Then, we moved on to Amarone. A bit of context. There are basically two kinds of Amarone, unhelpfully. There are those that hover around 15% alcohol, made in a dry style, and those that go well above that into 17% and often over 10g of residual sugar. Bertani make the former, which is smart, because in today’s market there are plenty of other places in the world to get the latter (Puglia, for example) much more cheaply than from the Veneto.
Andrea observed that there were much greater vintage variations in the wines made with traditional drying of the grapes in rooms with windows, which is all the Classico Amarone, compared to the wines made with air-conditioned drying. It’s interesting that climate change has made the traditional method of drying much easier, at the same time as it has made the logic of drying grapes — to concentrate the flavours and make a rich wine in a cooler climate — increasingly unnecessary. The Bertani grapes in 2023 were dried in just 60 days, down from 100 days in 2013, and 120 days in decades past.
Bertani Amarone della Valpolicella Classico 2013 — 94 points
Cocoa, dried herbal characters that recall seaweed, alongside balsam, liquorice and beef glaze. Balanced but richly savoury, this was very well-judged. This macerates and ferments for 40-50 days and spends 8 years maturing in Slavonian oak, but is topped up regularly with lees from younger Amarone wines to reduce the oxidative effect this amount of wood ageing would otherwise have on the flavour profile. 15.5%, 80% Corvina, 20% Rondinella
Bertani Amarone della Valpolicella Classico 2008 — 93 points
Mahogany sideboards and orange peel on the nose here, with toasted chestnuts and membrillo. Much more oxidative in style with leather and a hint of volatile acidity which gave an almost oloroso-like impression to the flavour. Andrea described this as a Barolo-like vintage, and I fully see what he means. 15.5%, 80% Corvina, 20% Rondinella
Bertani Amarone della Valpolicella Classico 2005 — 96 points
Beautiful amaro-inflected nose with bitter rosemary, dark chocolate, juniper and roasted bone marrow alongside dried black and red cherry fruit and rich leather aromas. Very savoury, more akin to 2013 in style, but with a big, rich, chewy palate that delivers those baked-in herbaceous flavours of kelp and nori even more successfully than the 2013. Bone dry and magnificent. 15.3%, 80% Corvina, 20% Rondinella
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There we go. What a nice way to spend 90 minutes, expertly organised by Decanter, Michelle, Andrea and the team at The Landmark hotel.
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