Amarone was I wine that I quite enjoyed early on when my palate was young and inexperienced.  Over time, I grew to gravitate towards wines with more finesse.  Amarone was just too "extra".  I had an epiphany at a library tasting of Bertoni Amarone.  We tasted Amarone dating back to the late 80's.  I found the sweet spot (in my opinion) started at about 8-10 years and spanned another 10-15 years effortlessly.  After 10 years, the wines, while still robust, show far more elegance and refinement. They are just better than they are upon release.

After my "Quarantina della Valpolicella" stuck in Italy in 2021 with COVID unnder a "mandatory" 7-day quarantine in 2021, I had "sampled" (drank) more than a year's worth of Amarone in a few weeks.  Fortunately, I did not lose my sense of smell or taste.  Damn, I had some great bottles of Amarone over a 2-week span in Verona.

I will tell anyone that will listen - Drink Amaronne un po vecchio - with a little age.  When the wine is well-made, it is soooo much better than it is upon release.  At my age, I'm not buying wines to hold for a decade.  But, it is fairly easy to find an Amarone that has enough age to enjoy the cusp of its full potential now.  And why not enjoy something now?

Yes, I am leading up to something really nice.  

The Salva Terra Amarone 2017 will benefit from some aeration to release the intense, bright red berries, dates and subtle spicy, savory notes. As you would expect, this wine is full-bodied.  The headiness of this wine is nicely balanced with taut acidity in such a way that neither offends.  The palate is precise and linear that leads to a clean, long finish.

I am sitting here with a pappardelle pasta and meat sauce, enjoying some music from Marc Antoine.   I have a glass of both the 2017 Normale, and a 2012 Riserva that I am sipping away on while my angels and demons debate which should be preferred.  I can assure you, that either (and both) of these wines will elevate a simple pasta Bolognese into a gastronomic celebration on any day of the week.

Celebrate Often...