ALZERO

2008 Cabernet Merlot Quintarelli

Grapes Corvinone, Corvina, Cab Franc, Cab Sauv
Colour Red
Origin Italy, Veneto
ABV 16.5%

Alzero is local dialect for a slope, this is Cabernet Sauvignon and Franc with a touch of Merlot, like the Amarone, the fruit is dried for 2 and half months prior to pressing and fermenting, again 8 years ageing in oak prior to bottling. The aromas are typically Cabernet, tobacco, cassis and plum, but just a touch more herbal, serious and taut. On the palate there is that wonderful acidity, lots of flesh and ripe almost sweet cassis, with lovely complexing herbal notes on the long finish. Drinking range: 2018 - 2030 L&S (Oct 2018)


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This is an Amarone inspired Bordeaux hybrid - 40% Cabernet Franc, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Merlot. The Cabernet grapes are harvested for this wine relatively early and then dried out until December on rush mats, getting more concentrated and more intense. Then pressed and undergo a long cool fermentation, this lasts approximately 50 days. The wine is then transferred to French barrels for two or three years, then racked into Slavonian oak barrels for four more years. No mean feat and the results are impressive! 10 years after the harvest this 2008 is the 'current release'. Impressive stuff, quite a take on the traditional Bordeaux blend!L&S (Sept 2017)

This wine was first produced in 1983, and production remains unbroken because no vintage was ever skipped. The 2008 Cabernet Alzero is 80% Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc with 20% Merlot. These are the first grapes to be picked in September. After harvest, the grapes go through two or three months of appassimento and up to nine years of ageing in large oak casks. Indeed, the winemaking process used here is identical to that of the Amarone, only this wine maintains a more international identity thanks to the grape varieties used. Dark plum, blackberry and raisin intermingle with spice, tar and tobacco. This vintage registers a 16.5% alcoholic content, and there is, once again, plenty of textural fibre and richness to support and cushion that heat. Drinking range: 2019 - 2040 Rating: 95 Monica Larner, The Wine Advocate (www.robertparker.com) (Sept 2019)

Quintarelli

Quintarelli is without a doubt the reference point for wines from Valpolicella and the Veneto hills. In fact this historic estate makes some of the world's finest wines, hugely sought after by wine-lovers in every continent. We are delighted to be representing them now in the UK and sharing these spell-binding creations with our customers. The estate came to prominence during the 60 year career of the legendary Giuseppe 'Bepi' Quintarelli, a visionary man who must be credited with reviving this historic region through the production of his incredible wines. The mantra here is 'tradition and time'. These wines are never rushed - they are given as much time as they need in the cellars, to hit their stride, before bottling and releasing to the market. A prime example is the Valpolicella Classico - the estate's calling card - we are just shipping the 2010 vintage, the latest release, a mere 8 years on from the harvest! Most 'Classicos' are drunk a year or 2 from the harvest! In the pursuit of perfection here, the family's patience is an invaluable virtue. Old barrels, cool cellars, traditional methods, patience and soul are the keys here - and the results are extra-ordinary. Sadly the Maestro 'Bepi' passed away in 2012, but thankfully his spirit lives on and his daughter Fiorenza has taken the reins with her two sons: Francesco and Lorenzo and her husband Giampaolo. They are respecting all that the great man achieved and any tweaks are proving to be both positive and minimal thankfully - purely designed to improve the consistency of the wines and raise the profile of this incredible gem.

This wine isn't currently part of a mixed case, but you can always browse our full selection of mixed cases here.
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