BRIGALDARA AMARONE DELLA VALPOLICELLA 'CASE VECIE'

VENETO, ITALY 2012

Far into the northeastern corner of Italy lies an area of exceptional beauty and culture. The Veneto, one of a group of three highly productive Italian wine regions known collectively as the Tre Venezie, is nestled into a valley protected from the harsh northern European climate by the Alps. Within this region lies the viticultural zone of Valpolicella, roughly encompassing the province of Verona and having a history of vine cultivation dating back to the Bronze Age. Of all the remarkable wine regions of Italy, Valpolicella is one of the most fascinating, offering a breadth of delicious and notable red wines full of complexity and character, among those the powerful, dense and long-lived Amarone. The process of semi-drying grapes for the production of Amarone, known as appassimento, which produces richer flavors and higher alcohol has been passed down from the Romans and is now so fundamental to the identity of the region that even the name of the zone, Valpolicella, is often interpreted as meaning “valley of cellars.”

Given Amarone’s prominence in history and its place among the upper echelon of Italian reds, certain estates stand head and shoulders above all others. Purchased by the Cesari family in 1929, Brigaldara is one such estate. Located outside the village of San Floriano in the heart of the Valpolicella region, Brigaldara is perched on a slope at the mouth of the Marano Valley, the original and oldest of the four valleys that make up Valpolicella’s classical area, covering about 50 hectares of land. This idyllic property is nothing short of sensational, with Monica Larner of Wine Advocate praising the estate as making “some of the best Amarone available today…this beautiful collection of wines is absolutely unbeatable.” Today we have the special opportunity to offer one of this highly acclaimed winery’s prized single vineyard expressions, their 2012 Amarone della Valpolicella ‘Case Vecie.’

With only a miniscule 300 cases imported for all the United States, securing an allocation was quite the feat. Taking its name from the tiny 9 hectare vineyard 450 meters above sea level with a perfect southeastern exposure, Case Vecie is produced from a microclimate that ensures slow and consistent ripening, so essential for the best Amarone, and is designed to enhance the natural traits of the cold-climate vineyard. Hand harvested late in the season during the second half of October, the grapes are left to dry in the fruit drying loft at the estate for several months. After fermentation, the wine is aged for two years in barriques and then an additional two years in Slavonian oak barrels. Brilliantly ruby in color with wonderful aromas of cherry, balsamic, vanilla and spices, this is a hedonistic, full-bodied wine that more than lives up to the history and tradition of the region and is an outstanding example of Amarone that is a must for anyone’s collection. With 20% off bottle one, this is a wine not to miss.