2016 Alzero

The Quintarelli Giuseppe 2016 Cabernet Alzero is a blend of 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Cabernet Franc and 20% Merlot. The two Cabernet grapes see between one and two months of appassimento, and because these varieties do not share the light color and big berry size of the traditional Valpolicella grapes that are usually used in the air-drying process, the Cabernets reach a higher sugar content in a shorter time frame. The winery team has been working to reduce the sweetness you might associate with older vintages of this wine, and indeed, the Alzero has gone from 20 grams per liter of residual sugar in the past to seven grams today (with a powerful 16.5% alcohol content). There is a subtle herbal note with green curry leaf that transitions to jammy blackberry and blackcurrant. This is a wine of broad shoulders, big richness and a generously fleshed-out texture (my sample came from a bottle that had been opened most of the day).