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Tasting notes
Deeper, darker and richer than the surrounding vintages, the 2009 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico pulls you close with a heady display of crushed chocolate-covered black cherries, cinnamon sugar, molasses and a grounding hint of flowery undergrowth. It’s creamy and weighty in feel, yet it never tires the senses, as a contrasting wave of citrus-tinged tart red and black fruits comes together with savory herbal tones and a hint of balsamic spice. There are layers of aroma and flavor to explore here, as the 2009 continues to open in the glass. Echoes of pomegranate, blackberry and violets linger through the long and lightly structured finale. While I’m sure the 2009 will hold up over medium-term cellaring, there’s a certain air of early maturity here that makes it quite easy to enjoy already.
Critic scores
Robert Parker
Monica Larner, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
This wine is only made in the best vintages, and the next release is 2011. The 2009 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico is a mysteriously ephemeral wine but also a very powerful one at the same time. The alcohol content is 16.5%, and this is one of the most important indicators used when deciding that a vintage is good enough to make Amarone. This wine shows a deep, dark color that is reinforced by thick density and smoky aromas that lift from the glass, followed by exotic spice, campfire ash, camphor and plenty of dark plummy and raisiny fruit. The bouquet reveals outlying aromas of bitter chocolate and crushed slate. In the mouth, the wine offers plenty of ripeness and fruity sweetness, but there is enough supporting structure here to absorb both the sugar and the alcohol. There is a sweetly fragrant earthy note on the long and silky finish.