Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG “Tano” 2017

Tano is the Amarone of a one hectare scale, high altitude project: Cà dei Conti's vines grow at 400 to 450 metres above Tregnago in the Val d'Illasi, on marl and limestone morainic soil, planted densely at 9,000 vines per hectare and cropped to a single kilo of grapes per plant. The blend joins Corvina, Corvinone and Rondinella with Marzemino and Rebo, and the grapes dry for 100 to 120 days before a long, cool fermentation.
Aging is unusually patient for a small estate: four years in French barriques on its own skins, then a further year in bottle. At 17% alcohol this is a big Amarone, yet the altitude keeps it alive: cherry and strawberry over nuts, vanilla, cocoa and spice, with structure and depth that reward a slow evening. Decant it generously and serve at 18 °C alongside braised game, an aged Parmigiano or after dinner on its own. Production is tiny, so allocations come and go quickly.