Tedeschi Maternigo Amarone della Valpolicella Riserva 2016

A hailstorm devastated production in 2015, so 2016 becomes the first vintage of Maternigo Amarone Classico Riserva – and there won’t be a 2017 or 2018. From the low-vigour Barila vineyard on the Maternigo estate to the east of the denomination, the grapes were picked just before perfect ripeness to retain freshness. The wine is the result of 100 days of grape drying, followed by a long 40-day fermentation and 90-day maceration, then 48 months in Slavonian oak and 12 months in bottle. Spicy, woody black cherry, blueberry jam and coffee scents are joined by deep, rich, earthy and almost-jammy flavours, with cocoa and damson. Round and extremely fresh with a persistent finish, this is by no means a shrinking violet yet has the balance to match its considerable concentration and heft. Drinking window: 2024-2037. Score – 97. (James Button, decanter.com, Sept. 10, 2023)