Tag: 2020

wine review: Zýmē di Celestino Gaspari Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG Classico 2020

Zýmē, founded by the legendary Celestino Gaspari, is one of Valpolicella’s most innovative and quality-driven estates. An artisanal winery where deep regional knowledge meets cutting-edge precision. Gaspari, long regarded as one of the foremost interpreters of the appassimento method, brings a philosophy rooted in patience, purity, and terroir transparency. His approach begins in the vineyard, where meticulous bunch selection and careful monitoring of ripeness ensure that only the most expressive grapes begin the Amarone journey. Located in the heart of Valpolicella Classico, Zýmē works with a mosaic of hillside parcels rich in limestone, clay, and ancient rock, soils that give the wines their hallmark depth and mineral tension. The cellar is a fusion of modernity and tradition, where long, natural fermentations and extended élevage create Amarone wines that are simultaneously powerful, elegant, and unmistakably Zýmē. Gaspari’s wines are revered worldwide for their purity of fruit, structural precision, and ability to age for decades with grace. The 2020 Amarone Classico from Zýmē is a glorious, richly textured wine that embodies the precision and artistry of Gaspari’s team. Intense and expressive from the first swirl, it displays savoury dark fruit, leather, balsamic notes, and deeply perfumed dried dark fruit—an unmistakable signature of the estate’s meticulous bunch-by-bunch selection for their ultra premium wines. On the palate, the harmony is remarkable. The flavours mirror the aromatics perfectly: dark fruit, savoury undertones, dried figs and cherries, sweet spices, and a beautifully integrated balsamic lift. The richness and concentration are balanced by impeccable structure, making this a wine of both immediacy and immense longevity. Enjoy over the next 30 years as it continues to gain complexity and depth. Tasted February 2025. 96+ points. Matt Steeves – http://www.quercusvino.ca

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wine review: Ca’ La Bionda Amarone della Valpolicella Classico DOCG ‘Ravazzol’ 2020

Nestled in the heart of Valpolicella Classico, Ca’ La Bionda stands as one of the region’s highly respected family estates. Founded in 1902 in the historic commune of Marano di Valpolicella, the winery is now led by the fourth generation of the Castellani family, who farm organically and champion a pure, terroir-first expression of Valpolicella’s hillside vineyards. Their approach is patient and traditional—high-elevation terraces, careful bunch selection, and long natural fermentations—resulting in wines that balance depth with finesse. The estate’s crown jewel is the legendary Ravazzol cru, one of the most prized sites in all of Valpolicella. With its ancient marly-limestone soils, dramatic slopes, and excellent exposure, Ravazzol yields fruit that lends itself beautifully to Amarone’s appassimento technique. Ca’ La Bionda translates this into an Amarone style that is structured, savoury, and elegant—never heavy—making their wines among the finest, age-worthy expressions in the denomination. A stunningly elegant Amarone from one of Valpolicella’s great historic crus. The 2020 Ravazzol opens with a deep and complex aromatic profile: dried dark fruit, warm spice, flint, leather, balsamic lift, and a subtle salty mineral note that speaks clearly of its hillside limestone origins. On the palate, this is all about tension and refinement—chalky, savoury, and beautifully balanced. Waves of dark dried fruit mingle with spice and saline minerality, supported by youthful, tightly knit tannins that promise tremendous evolution. The structure is exceptional, and while it’s already expressive, the 2020 Ravazzol will be in a prime drinking window in about five years, with decades of graceful life ahead. Tasted February 2020. 95+ points. Matt Steeves - http://www.quercusvino.ca

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wine review: Corte Cavedini Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG 2020

Corte Cavedini is a small, family-run estate tucked away in the Marcellise Valley, an under-the-radar part of Valpolicella just east of Verona where the rolling hills and calcareous soils yield wines of natural tension and elegance. Here, the Cavedini family crafts their terroir-driven Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG that favours balance over sheer power—beautifully ripened Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella (with a small portion of Merlot, Croatina, and Oseleta) grapes are gently air-dried for ~ 2 months then vinified, aged in French tonneaux for two years prior to bottling. The result, a lovely blend of dried fruit, red berries, pomegranate, and balsamic notes. The palate repeats with lovely dried red and dark fruit, fine tannins, harmonious texture on the long finish. Showing wonderfully now, this is a great go-to Amarone to enjoy now and over the next decade plus. Tasted February 2025. 94+ points. Matt Steeves - http://www.quercusvino.ca

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wine review: Zeni 1870 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico VigneAlte 2020

Zeni 1870 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico VigneAlte 2020 - Zeni is a historic family-run winery founded in 1870, which has deep roots in Bardolino where their main winery is located, but also in Valpolicella since the 1960s. Vigne Alte Amarone is sourced from higher-altitude hillside vineyards in the Valpolicella Classico zone, the traditional heartland of Amarone production. The combination of calcareous-basaltic soils and the cooler diurnal range of elevated slopes yields grapes with intense concentration yet remarkable aromatic lift. The nose is super-decadent, imagine a hedonistic interplay of black cherries, black-forest cake, kirsch, and dark chocolate, laced with cocoa powder, sweet baking spice, and a graphite-mineral undertone from the basalt-limestone soils. Elegant hints of dried fig, espresso, and preserved cherry linger in the background, adding warmth and sophistication. The palate is velvety and expansive, unfolding in layers of black-cherry-filled pastries and cocoa-dusted spice, framed by supple, creamy tannins and balanced freshness. There’s a subtle saline–mineral tension that keeps the wine from excess, leading to an opulent yet finely tuned finish of fruit preserves, mocha, and spice that lingers luxuriously. A decadent yet balanced Amarone, marrying luxurious richness with poise and minerality. Tasted February 2025. 94 points. Matt Steeves - http://www.quercusvino.ca

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wine review: Contrada Palui Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG 2020

This impressive lightly coloured Amarone impressed last year when it made its debut at Anteprima Amarone given it's surprisingly faint colour yet big and layered taste profile. The 2020 vintage brings a similar light ruby colour and all the elegance you would expect along with great structure and texture revealing red and dark fruits, dried fruits, fig, plum, and sweet spices with impressive crushed rock minerality from the white limestone, black basalt and flint stone found in their high elevation vineyards overlooking Verona. This Amarone represents so clearly the terroir from where it was born. With their high elevation vineyards and careful winemaking they're able to reflect a profound sense of place so well. Contrada Palui is changing how many may have perceived Amarone in the past. See for yourself. Put your fancy Burgundy down and try this wine! You'll be impressed. Enjoy now and over the next 15 years. Tasted February 2025. 95 points. Matt Steeves - http://www.quercusvino.ca

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wine review: Tezza Viticoltori Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG 2020

Tezza Viticoltori Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG 2020 - Tezza Viticoltori, based in the Valpantena valley immediately northeast of Verona. Their 2020 Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG shows impressive intensity and depth, layering bold dark and red fruit with inviting notes of sweet spice, chocolate, clove, and dried fig. The calcareous, well-drained soils of Valpantena lend structure and lift, keeping the wine refined rather than heavy, while the Tezza family’s restrained approach and organic farming allows the fruit and terroir to shine. It’s a beautifully balanced Amarone, rich, warmly spiced, and poised to age gracefully while preserving its hallmark warm spice and refreshing dried-fruit complexity. Tasted February 2025. 94 points. Matt Steeves - http://www.quercusvino.ca

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wine review: Vigneti di Ettore Amarone della Valpolicella Classico DOCG 2020

Vigneti di Ettore is a historic, family-run estate deeply rooted in the Valpolicella Classico zone. Founded in 1930, the winery has evolved through generations while maintaining a steadfast commitment to authenticity and quality. Today, the third generation—winemaker Gabriele—guides all viticultural and cellar work, supported by the experience and steady hand of his father, Giampaolo, who remains actively involved despite being “not fully retired.” The family farms 19 hectares of hillside parcels across the Negrar Valley, one of the beating hearts of Valpolicella Classico. Their vineyards benefit from varied exposures, elevations, and soils that combine clay, limestone, and ancient moraine, giving the wines nuance, energy, and minerality. Vigneti di Ettore’s style is defined by clarity, freshness, and a deft balance between tradition and precision. Their Amarone is never about sheer power—it’s about purity of fruit, textural finesse, and a sense of place. Over the years, the estate has quietly become one of the most consistent and compelling small producers in the region, with each vintage deepening their reputation. The 2020 Amarone from Vigneti di Ettore is a beautifully harmonious and strikingly refined interpretation of this famed style—perhaps the finest expression the estate has produced to date. The nose opens with a seamless medley of dark fruit, subtle spice, mineral notes, and lifted aromas that speak to both the vineyard elevations and the careful appassimento. There is a compelling interplay of freshness and depth, with everything integrated and in perfect balance. On the palate, the wine continues its theme of harmony. Dark fruit is woven into savoury, mineral-driven layers, all carried by a smooth, textural elegance. Nothing is overdone; every component—aroma, flavour, structure, and texture—works together with remarkable cohesion. This is a modern, sophisticated Amarone built on finesse rather than force. Still youthful but already captivating, the 2020 will reward patience. The anticipated release is winter 2027, and the wine will continue to evolve beautifully for decades thereafter. Tasted February 2025. 95+ points. Matt Steeves - http://www.quercusvino.ca

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wine review: Albino Armani Cuslanus Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Riserva 2020 (estimated release 2028)

Albino Armani’s long history in the Veneto, documented over four centuries, continues to flourish through a deep commitment to traditional techniques, high-altitude viticulture, and site-driven expressions of Valpolicella. Their Riserva-tier Amarone, Cuslanus, is sourced from some of the region’s most elevated vineyards, including parcels reaching 500 metres above sea level, where cooler temperatures and steady mountain breezes preserve freshness and shape the wine’s trademark lift and aromatic precision. Cuslanus Riserva 2020 is the finest vintage of this wine I’ve tasted to date. It opens with an impressive array of rich dark fruit, layered with a beautiful medley of sweet spice, brandied cherry, and chocolate, creating an elegant yet gently opulent aromatic profile. The palate is both refined and refreshing, a hallmark of the high-altitude vineyards from which the wine is sourced. There is a clarity and vibrancy to the fruit, remarkably balanced by a subtle richness that speaks to the harmony achieved in this vintage. The structure is poised, the tannins polished, and the overall impression one of finesse and quiet depth. With its combination of freshness, elegance, and concentrated flavour, this is a superb Amarone Riserva that will reward cellaring and will stand out as one of the estate’s great vintages. Tasted February 2025. 95 points. Matt Steeves - http://www.quercusvino.ca

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wine review: Fasoli Gino “Alteo” Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG 2020

Fasoli Gino Alteo Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG 2020 - 17.5% - Founded in 1925 and known for its commitment to organic and artisanal production, Fasoli Gino is one of Valpolicella’s most respected family wineries. Their flagship Amarone, Alteo, is crafted exclusively from vineyards planted on the highest slopes of Valpolicella, where a mix of clay and limestone soils contributes natural minerality, tension, and structural depth. These elevated, well-ventilated sites allow the grapes to ripen gradually, developing intense concentration while preserving freshness. The fruit for Alteo is manually harvested in early fall, then undergoes approximately four months of appassimento—the traditional withering process that intensifies sugars, aromatics, and structure. After a slow, patient fermentation, the wine matures in barriques for a minimum of three years before an additional year of bottle aging, ensuring complexity, integration, and longevity. This meticulous, time-honored approach yields a powerful yet detailed Amarone of great character and aging potential. The 2020 Alteo Amarone immediately captured my attention for its rich, rustic, and layered personality. The nose is expressive and evocative, delivering savory dark fruit, dried fruit, fig, potpourri, and forest floor, all unfolding in beautifully interwoven layers. On the palate, the wine is deep, concentrated, and texturally impressive, with flavours of cassis, dried cherry, spice, and warm, earthy undertones. The length is exceptional, carrying its richness with confidence and balance. Despite its power (17.5%), the wine remains poised, driven by the minerality and structure imparted by its high-elevation clay-limestone vineyards. This is a robust, complex, and beautifully crafted Amarone—showing wonderfully now, with the depth and stamina to evolve gracefully over the next two decades. Tasted February 2025. 96+ points. Matt Steeves - http://www.quercusvino.ca

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Top recommended (Canadian) sparkling wines to ring-in the New Year!

As we plan to ring-in the much anticipated new year (and leave 2020 in the past), I wanted to share some of the most memorable Canadian sparking wines I tasted this past year should you be looking to toast with a special bottle of fine Canadian wine this New Year's Eve. Because a celebration isn't complete without some fine sparkling wine, here's a few I highly recommend enjoying this New Year's Eve and throughout 2021.

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