Bolla, Amarone della Valpolicella Classico (Veneto, Italy) 2017 ($56, Frederick Wildman & Sons)

When I first tasted this 2017 Amarone I was a bit surprised at its freshness, infused with flavors of plum and dried black cherry with notes of black pepper, chocolate and tobacco, as well as the smoothness of its tannins. Apparently the 2017 vintage for Amarone in the Veneto region was a hot one, one of the hottest since 1994, resulting in riper grapes. As a result, production was lower than normal, sugar levels were high, and malic acid was low. So, what we have is a wine that is ready to drink now. Enjoy!
90 Rebecca Murphy