Valpolicella. Giuseppe Quintarelli - 2022 visit
It is always a day to remember when you get a chance to visit the legendary estates and I was thrilled to have another chance to catch up with Francesco after two years. For the reference about the history of the estate and current portfolio of labels I strongly encourage you to visit my previous blog entry regarding Quintarelli.
During this visit I had a pleasure to taste the recent vintages. The tasting lineup consisted of:
Bianco Secco 2020
Primofiore 2019
Valpolicella 2014
Rosso del Bepi 2014
Amarone della Valpolicella 2013
Recioto della Valpolicella 2007
Bianco Secco is a big mixture of varieties – 85% is Garganega with the remainder Trebbiano, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Saurin (local grape variety which means “tasteful” in the local dialect). The aging occurs in 20% cask and 80% in stainless steel. The new initiative present in this vintage is drying of the grapes. The decision has not been made if Qunitarelli will carry on with the appassimento for this wine or go back to the regular wine making.
The wine has a good acidity and because of the drying process doesn’t feel as young as the 2017 we have tried during our visit in 2020. While the complexity has been amped up in this vintage the question remains open for the aging potential. Francesco made it very clear that they are happy to experiment but changes often come with a trade – in this example you lose some freshness in favour of complexity and it remains to be seen if that is the path they want to follow in the future.
Primofiore 2019 – it is the youngest and simplest IGT wine produced since 1986. 50% of the blend is Corvina / Corvinone and the other 50% Cabernet Franc / Cabernet Sauvignon. The Cabernets undergo a bit of drying (just around one month) and then the wine is aged for 2 years in a cask. The name comes from Italian for “first flower”, which refers to the floral character of the Cabernet contribution to the wine. The wine is very punchy right off the gate with sweet red fruits – raspberries more than strawberries. It is smooth and fresh with a very gentle smell of vanilla. Also some blackberries are present. 2019 was quite a hot vintage and Cabernet is a grape variety which is very much influenced by the weather conditions. We found out that it did in fact impart some green notes in this particular bottle and the general feeling was that the Cabernets were driving the wine more than Corvina & Corvinone. Aging is in a cask of mixed old and new wood and in the future Francesco would like to see it having even less impact for this label.
Valpolicella 2014 – 2014 is the synonym of the bad vintage for almost all parts of the wine world. In Negrar it was cold and hail was present. It comes as no surprise that Quintarelli skipped the Amarone in 2014 and instead declassified it to Rosso del Bepi, however Valpolicella turned out very nice. It is a very fresh vintage, the fruit seems much more restrained and elegant than in Primofiore. The local grapes (Corvina, Corvinone and Rondinella) of which half are dried for two months and the other half are pressed fresh for the fermentation. Afterwards comes aging of 6 years in a cask. The local grapes are more delicate than the Cabernet which is showing off immediately compared to Primofiore. Here more patience will be required to dwell deep into the treasures. Red cherries, blackberries, spicy notes are very prevalent, black pepper, cedar wood. The palate shows more dried fruit, some raisins. The finish is pleasantly long. The fruit is currently in no fear of decline so it still has plenty of life left.
Rosso del Bepi 2014 – the wine felt too light to be classified as Amarone hence the declassification. It is middleweight indeed, so it might be a great experience for someone not fond of Amarone to try have something more powerful than regular Valpolicella but not as structured as Amarone. It again shows the good red fruit core which underwent 4 months of drying (September to January) and peppery spiciness. Earthy notes come from a glass, forest floor sensation and fruit that is currently a bit restrained.
Amarone della Valpolicella 2013 – dried herbs, smooth and velvety. Very elegant and polished. Licorice and cheery. Summer of 2013 was very favourable but the fall was tricky because of the humidity which made the drying part difficult. 2013 is also much smoother than 2012 and has a sense of readiness compared to 2012. The finish is extremely long and pleasant. Next Amarone Quintarelli will bottle is the 2015. The bottling will occur in April 2022. 2015 has a good chance of becoming a Riserva as well, which would obviously mean 2 extra years of aging.
Recioto della Valpolicella 2007 “a Roberto” – favourite label of Giuseppe, this special wine has 65 grams of residual sugar! This bottle is dedicated to the late Roberto Ferrarini – long time enologist supporting Giuseppe with winemaking. It is the only wine from the whole range which undergoes spontaneous fermentation and is matured in small casks. The colour is very deep ruby. It is rich and opulent, the wine is so dense it almost glues to the glass. On the nose you get dried flowers and herbs. Great acidity keeps the sweetness in check with a long finish with a hint dark chocolate note. This would go lovely with cheese or cocoa rich chocolate.