Photos courtesy of Wilson Daniels Dal Forno Amarone Vertical In 2019 Monica Larner of the Wine Advocate published a retrospective article on the wines of Romano Dal Forno. Insightful, full of great technical information and detail, the piece clearly highlights what makes a Dal Forno Amarone standout from the rest, including his hero Giuseppe Quintarelli. However, the line that sticks out to us most from Monica is the drinking window. “The drinking windows for the newer vintages tasted in this report extend 30 to 50 years.” The wines of Romano Dal Forno are steeped equally in tradition and modernity. The vineyards are impeccable and sustainably farmed. The winery is modern, boasting numerous vessels and tools created by the Dal Forno family specifically to produce their wines. The sum of it all - is a drive for perfection for Dal Forno. Where that line of perfection is, is unknown, even for the Dal Forno family. There is always room for improvement, always the opportunity to refine the wine more, always something to do better. That is what sets Dal Forno on an equal plane with Quintarelli, just on opposite sides of the spectrum. The Dal Forno family have established since their launch in 1983 as wine bottlers, a winery and vineyard that are the equivalent to some of the great modernist producers of our time in wine. Their peers include: Angelo Gaja, Pingus, Gianfranco Soldera, Screaming Eagle, and Penfolds Grange to name a few. It is the embrace of tradition and focus on the vineyards combined with modern technology and the drive to experiment and refine that has set these producers in a league all their own. The great news is that the Dal Forno family was forward thinking and over a decade ago decided to reserve a portion of each vintage for library release. In fact, there was a potential point in time that the Amarone would be cellared for a minimum of ten years before it was to be released onto the market for the first time. While that has not occurred just yet, we are seeing the Dal Forno family reserve the 2016 Vintage of Amarone for a later release as they skipped ahead to the magnificent 2017 vintage that we have in-stock. All Amarone and Valpolicella in this offer are direct from the winery; this is a rare opportunity to secure 2008, 2007, and 2006 in pristine condition. Look at it this way, if these are 50-year wines, the winery has just knocked 10 to 15 years of cellar aging off for you! As a Dal Forno aficionado you realize that these wines are beautiful and beguiling in their youth. That is why we can’t keep our hands off them. Yes, they will age for 30 to 50 years with ease but the exploration and enjoyment of tasting them over that period of time is where the real fun is! This is the chance to begin that journey of tasting and watching the wines of Dal Forno evolve in your glass and cellars for the next three to five decades. Cheers, |
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