Sartori di Verona Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG Collezione del Fondatore 2021
Full-bodied dry red wine produced using the traditional Appassimento method, resulting in an exceptionally rich, concentrated, and warming style. · Casa Vinicola Sartori SPA is a historic family-owned winery established in 1898 in Verona, Italy. It holds a solid, reputable standing as one of the prominent commercial and quality-driven ambassadors of the Veneto wine region, known for balancing traditional heritage with modern winemaking techniques.
Vintage: 2021 was characterized by a balanced growing season in the Veneto with adequate spring rainfall and a warm, dry summer, allowing the native grapes to achieve ideal phenolic ripeness and exceptional health prior to the crucial drying process.
Type
Full-bodied dry red wine produced using the traditional Appassimento method, resulting in an exceptionally rich, concentrated, and warming style.
Producer
Casa Vinicola Sartori SPA is a historic family-owned winery established in 1898 in Verona, Italy. It holds a solid, reputable standing as one of the prominent commercial and quality-driven ambassadors of the Veneto wine region, known for balancing traditional heritage with modern winemaking techniques.
Country
Italy is a foundational Old World wine-producing country with thousands of indigenous grape varieties, a rigorous DOC/DOCG classification system, diverse Mediterranean and continental climates, and a profound cultural heritage deeply intertwined with global winemaking history.
Vintage
2021 was characterized by a balanced growing season in the Veneto with adequate spring rainfall and a warm, dry summer, allowing the native grapes to achieve ideal phenolic ripeness and exceptional health prior to the crucial drying process.
Region & Appellation
Veneto, Italy; Valpolicella DOCG; Amarone della Valpolicella is the region's pinnacle DOCG classification, representing the highest tier of quality for dried-grape red wines from the hills north of Verona.
Grape Varieties
A traditional blend dominated by Corvina and Corvinone, supported by Rondinella and small amounts of other permitted indigenous red varieties like Molinara. These varieties provide high acidity, vibrant red fruit, and thick skins ideal for drying.
Color & Appearance
Deep, impenetrable rubrum with garnet highlights at the rim, showing medium-high viscosity and slow-moving, thick legs that indicate high alcohol and extract concentration.
Aroma Profile
Intense and complex nose featuring dried black cherries, dark plums, and fig paste, layered with secondary notes of sweet tobacco, cocoa, dark chocolate, baking spices, and a hint of balsamic eucalyptus.
Tasting Notes
A powerful and harmonious palate entry that expands into a rich, velvety mid-palate of dried dark fruits, espresso, and warming spices, finishing with incredible length, depth, and a seamless balance between residual fruit richness and structured tannins.
Flavor Profile
Dominated by rich flavors of dried fig, prune, black cherry preserves, and blackberry, interwoven with savory nuances of leather, roasted coffee bean, sweet pipe tobacco, nutmeg, and a touch of dark chocolate.
Body & Texture
Full-bodied with a sumptuous, velvety, and plush texture that coats the palate, supported by a dense core of fruit extract and a rich, glycerol-driven mouthfeel.
Acidity & Tannins
Medium-high, refreshing acidity cuts through the wine's immense richness and warmth, while the tannins are abundant yet remarkably fine-grained, ripe, and polished from barrel aging.
Sweetness Level
Dry to off-dry in style, featuring a low level of perceptible residual sugar balanced entirely by high alcohol and vibrant structural acidity typical of classic Amarone.
Alcohol Content
15.0% ABV, typical for the style, providing a warming sensation that contributes significantly to the wine's powerful body and long finish.
Aging & Oak
Aged in a combination of large Slavonian oak casks and smaller French oak barrels for an extended period, imparting subtle notes of vanilla, clove, and toast without overpowering the complex fruit characteristics.
Food Pairings
Ideal with rich, savory dishes such as braised beef cheeks, osso buco, roasted venison, game meats, rich mushroom risottos, and aged hard cheeses like Parmigiano-Reggiano or mature Pecorino.
Serving Suggestions
Serve at 16-18°C in oversized Bordeaux or balloon wine glasses. Decanting for at least one to two hours is strongly recommended to allow the complex aromas to open up. Drink now through the next decade.
Price Range
35 to 60 USD, representing fair to very good value for a high-tier reserve Amarone della Valpolicella from a well-known historic house.
Quality Assessment
Estimated 91-93 points, falling securely into the premium quality tier. It offers consistent style, impressive structure, and great complexity, rivaling many more expensive boutique bottlings from the appellation.
Production Methods
Hand-harvested grapes are carefully selected and placed in shallow wooden crates to dry in specialized fruit-drying lofts (fruttaio) over the winter months, concentrating sugars, flavors, and extract before slow fermentation and aging.
Terroir
Hilly limestone and clay soils in the Valpolicella Classico and extended zones, benefiting from good drainage, moderate altitude, and cool breezes from Lake Garda and the surrounding mountains.
History & Heritage
Founded in 1898 by Pietro Sartori when he acquired a vineyard to guarantee consistent, high-quality wine for his hotel, the winery has grown through four generations of family leadership into a symbol of Veronese winemaking tradition.
Interesting Facts
The 'Collezione del Fondatore' (Founder's Collection) is a special tribute line created to honor the heritage and visionary spirit of founder Pietro Sartori, utilizing select parcels and traditional winemaking expertise.
Cellaring Potential
Excellent cellaring potential due to its high extract, robust alcohol, and sturdy structure; it will continue to evolve gracefully in optimal cellar conditions for 10 to 15 years from the vintage date.
Similar Wines
Masi Costasera Amarone della Valpolicella, Allegrini Amarone della Valpolicella, Tedeschi Amarone della Valpolicella, and Tommasi Amarone della Valpolicella.