2003 Amarone della Valpolicella DOC Bosan

This is a wonderfully balanced wine, displaying all the richness and depth expected from Amarone but without allowing the alcohol to dominate. Delicious!

Gerardo Cesari SpA was selected as Italian Wine Producer of the Year 2006 by the prestigious International Wine & Spirits Competition. Cesari won the same award in 2004. Recognition of their sustained outstanding performance.

Tasting Notes
The characteristic fragrance of cherry merges with hints of spices, cocoa and vanilla. With a full and velvety flavour, it displays all its power in a warm, elegant body.

Matching
Excellent with game, grilled meats and stews, however we recommend it also by itself, as the ideal meditation wine.

Winemaking Notes
Grapes destined to produce the Amarone have to be harvested 1-2 weeks in advance of those for the Valpolicella wines. During harvest the best clusters are picked and placed, very carefully, in small wooden boxes. The grapes are left to dry in rooms called “Fruttai”, where there are large openings or windows to allow the free flow of the air which is vital to avoid the risk of rot. The drying process takes place until the middle of January and during these months, clusters are continuously controlled and sometimes removed if damaged. At the end of the drying period, grapes have lost 30-40% of their initial weight and have a naturally enhanced flavour and higher concentration of sugar, which is essential to guarantee a consistent level of alcohol (around 16% by vol.) during the subsequent fermentation.

The technique of maceration used is on the skins, lasting 20-30 days. Due to the high alcohol level obtained during the fermentation, the yeasts have to be chosen in consideration of their resistance to it and to the low temperatures (fermentation comes within January and February). The wine is racked off its lees and transferred to stainless steel vats where malolactic fermentation takes place. At this stage begins the ageing of the wine that will last for three years, partly in large Slavonian oak barrels and partly in French Allier barriques and tonneaux. Ageing is completed with another 12- 15 months resting in the bottle before release to market.