Giuseppe Quintarelli - Rosso Ca del Merlo Veneto 2018 (750ml)
Price: $158.99
| Producer | Giuseppe Quintarelli |
| Country | Italy |
| Region | Veneto |
| Varietal | Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Nebbiol |
| Vintage | 2018 |
| Sku | 205041 |
| Size | 750ml |
 |
Giuseppe Quintarelli Description
Producing a bottle of Quintarelli is no simple task. After harvest, while half of the fruit—in this case, a diverse blend made up mainly of Corvina, Corvinone, and Rondinella—is crushed and fermented like a traditional red wine, the remaining grapes are set to dry for two months in a process known as appassimento. After the two lots are blended, the wine is then passed over the pressed skins from the family’s Amarone, a powerful wine made entirely from dried grapes. During this ripasso, the sugars left over in the Amarone pomace set off a small secondary fermentation, slightly boosting alcohol content and, crucially, contributing additional texture and rich, complex flavors. Only after all this has taken place is the wine racked to massive Slavonian oak botti, where it rests for no fewer than seven years before bottling.
And now here it is: the fruit of all that labor, a product of local tradition and clever innovation perfected over many decades by the Quintarelli family.
Tasting Note: the Ca’ del Merlo is a vibrant and tightly wound beauty with a dense, elegant core of luxurious black fruit and sweet spices, the whole showing class and restraint. Treat it as you would a fine Barolo: decant it young, cherish it old.
Wine Pairing: serve it alongside full-flavored, savory dishes such as braises, wild mushrooms, and hearty pastas coated in slow-cooked ragù.
Vinous: 95 Points
The 2018 Valpolicella Classico Superiore Ca' del Merlo wafts up with an incredibly pretty, savory bouquet of dried Mediterranean herbs, geranium and citrus-tinged wild strawberries. It displays depths of ripe red and blue fruits underscored by crisp mineral tones as rosy inner florals arch across the palate, all over a core of tantalizing acidity. The finish is floral and long, leaving a tart sensation of raspberry as hints of lavender fade slowly. This is a supremely elegant and refined vintage for Ca' del Merlo.
