Zenato Amarone - $79.99

Wine Details

Vintage: 2004
Price: $79.99
Producer: Zenato
Region: Valpolicella
Varietal: Dry Red Table Wine
Container Size: 750 ML
Flavors: black fruit, fresh herbs, licorice, mineral
  • Red Wine
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Product Description

  • The Amarone is a small jewel in our product line, made from outstanding corvina, rondinella and sangiovese grapes of the Valpolicella Classico zone, in the communes of Sant’Ambrogio, Negrar, Pedemonte, Fumane, San Pietro in Cariano and Marano. After being picked into small, 2.5 kg trays, the grapes are cleaned and placed on drying mats for 4 months in dry, well-ventilated rooms. In January they are finally crushed, then very slowly fermented on the skins; the wine goes into 300-litre French barrels and Slavonian oak barrels for maturation, followed by a year’s ageing in bottle before release. A wine of superb richness and majestic flavours. The exceptional balance of all its components makes it ideal for lengthy cellaring.

Expert Ratings

Ratings   Vintage Source Flavors
WineSpectator - 91 Details: Distinctive mineral character surrounds the fresh red and black fruit, with hints of fresh herbs, licorice and clay. Full-bodied, with well-integrated tannins and a long, well-balanced finish. Elegant and refined, with lots of character. Best after 2007. 6,700 cases made. –JC 2003 WineSpectator black fruit, fresh herbs, licorice, mineral
WineSpectator - 92 Details: Minerally and intense on the nose, with clean aromas of currant, dried spice and mineral. Full, tightly packed palate, with big velvety tannins and a long finish. Best after 2008. 1,000 cases made. –JC 2001 WineSpectator currant, mineral, minerally, spice
WineSpectator - 86 Details: An Amarone with fresh, sweet forest fruit character and earthy undertones. Round, medium body, with a clean finish. Slightly one-dimensional. Best after 2006. Tasted twice, with consistent notes. 5,000 cases made. –JC 2001 WineSpectator earthy
WineAndSpirits - 87 Details: A modern style, with honeyed, liqueurlike flavors of cassis, this is rich and sweet, for meats braised in sweet spices. 2001 WineAndSpirits cassis, spices
NatDecants - 91 Details: ZENATO AMARONE DELLA VALPOLICELLA CLASSICO 2001 DOC: One of my favorite amarones for a long time. Aromas of cherry liqueur, tar, smoke, coffee and leather. Dense and opulent. Full-bodied doesn't begin to describe it. Drink with big meat dishes. 413179 (XD) 750 mL $42.95 Score: 91/100. 2001 NatDecants cherry, coffee, leather, meat, smoke, tar
WineSpectator - 90 Details: Enticing aromas of slightly raisiny fruit, with spices and wet stone. Full-bodied, with a fresh, fruity palate, a good mineral backbone and a long finish. Best after 2004. 5,000 cases made. –JS 2000 WineSpectator mineral, raisiny, spices, stone
WineSpectator - 92 Details: Big, chewy. Outstanding. It bubbles over with floral, ripe berry and fruit character. Full-bodied and very chunky, with lots of big, chewy tannins. Massive finish. Give it time. Best after 2003. 4,165 cases made. –JS 1997 WineSpectator berry
WineSpectator - 88 Details: Offers more on the nose than the palate, but very good indeed. Extremely aromatic with violet, berry and tar aromas. Full-bodied, with a good, solid core of fruit and a medium finish. Drink now. 4,200 cases made. (JS) 1995 WineSpectator
Tastings - 86 Details: Deep garnet hue. High toned, minty, gamey aromas show rustic complexities. A rich entry leads to a glycerous, full-bodied palate with big, chocolatey flavors. Distinctive. Near- to mid-term cellar 1995 Tastings
WineSpectator - 88 Details: Dark ruby in color, with intense aromas of raisin, raspberry and wet earth and hints of meat. Medium- to full-bodied, with fine tannins and a medium finish. Needs a bit more length at the end to be outstanding. Drink now. 6,500 cases made. (JS) 1993 WineSpectator earth, meat, raisin, raspberry
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Food Pairings

Category Pairing
Red Meat Proscuitto & Serrano Ham
Pasta & Grains Pasta with Meat & Tomato Sauce
Vegetables Tomato Mozzarella Basil
Spicy Food Mexican & South American

Wine Terms

Name Value
Italy Makes nearly as much wine as France, but lags behind in their classification system. As a result, Italian wine isn’t taken as seriously as French wine. Most Italian wine is made from native grape varieties that don’t grow well elsewhere, such as Nebbiolo and Sangiovese. The most important regions are Piedmont, where Barolo and Barbaresco dominate, Tuscany, home to Chianti, Montepulciano, and the Super-Tuscans (a collection of relatively new reds), and the Northeastern region, where you’ll find Soave, Valpolicella, and Bardolino. Italy’s soils and climates are varied and ideally suited for viticulture, from the Alpine foothills in the north to the Mediterranean coast in the South. Its hilly landscape provides sun and cooler temperatures, even in the warmest regions. Italy has two categories of fine wines. DOCG, which means regulated and guaranteed place name, refers to a small group of elite wines. DOB wines are those with regulated (but not guaranteed) place names. A lower tier of table wines are grouped into IGT wines, which indicate the location on the label, and ordinary table wines, which carry no geographical indication except, “Italy.”
Valpolicella This important red-wine region in Veneto ranks just after Chianti for Italy's total DOC red-wine production. The wine is made primarily from Corvina, Rondinella, and Molinara grapes, although four other varieties can comprise up to 15 percent of the blend. Valpolicella's standard DOC wines are rather light and very fragrant and fruity. Those labeled superiore have a higher minimum alcohol content and are aged for a minimum of 1 year. The best wines are generally those labeled classico, which indicates that they come from the steeply terraced vineyards of the inner classico zone.
Veneto The home of some of Italy’s most famous wines, this area in the Northeastern quadrant of Italy produces Soave, Valpolicella and Prosecco.

Tasting Notes

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