Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG Classico 2019
Wine Description
Ca' La Bionda's Amarone Classico shows what organic farming in the high Classico zone can give: an Amarone of freshness and proportion rather than sheer weight. As across the estate's range, the blend rests on Corvina with Corvinone, Rondinella and a little Molinara, all native varieties, grown between 150 and 300 metres above Marano di Valpolicella. The grapes dry through the winter on racks in the traditional way, ferment on indigenous yeasts, and age in large oak casks, the house choice that keeps fruit ahead of wood.
Expect morello cherry and dried plum, warm spice, cocoa and a firm but polished structure with real drive on the finish. The 2019 drinks well now with an hour of air and will improve over the coming decade. Serve at 16 to 18 °C beside braised beef in Amarone, pastissada de caval, or a plate of aged Monte Veronese.
Winery
Ca' La Bionda was founded in 1902 by Pietro Castellani and is now run by the fourth generation, the brothers Alessandro and Nicola Castellani, winemaker and viticulturist. The estate farms 29 hectares around Marano di Valpolicella, in the high heart of the Classico zone, with vineyards between 150 and 300 metres facing east and southeast. Certified organic since 2016, the house works only with native grapes and traditional methods: indigenous yeasts, patient macerations and large oak casks. From the Valpolicella Classico up to the Amarone Ravazzol, the wines are among the most terroir driven in the appellation.
