Quintarelli Recioto della Valpolicella Classico 2011

A totem of the region, this is a stunning recioto born of six-months appassimento and a decade in barrel. Riffs on Chinotto, alpine spruce, bitter cherry, clove, mahogany and walnut husk, with a waft of something more exotic akin to incense and Chinese medicine cabinet. The finish is uncannily dry of feel, sooty and almost gritty, such is the tannic exactitude. Compelling gear, like discovering a new needle in a haystack of overwhelming complexity with each fresh sip. Drink or hold [until 2040+]. Score – 97. (Ned Goodwin, MW, jamessuckling.com, Nov. 28, 2023)