Allegrini "Palazzo della Torre" Veronese IGT 2020
(Veneto, Italy) - [JS 95]

About This Wine:

This blend of 70% Corvina Veronese, 25% Rondinella, and 5% Sangiovese is a smooth, full-bodied cru wine made in an innovative ripasso style. After the harvest, the grapes from the Palazzo della Torre vineyard follow two different paths: 70% of the grapes are vinified immediately, while the remaining 30% are left to dry until the end of December. The fresh wine made at harvest is blended with the fermenting juice of the dried grapes. This initiates a second fermentation and renders a more highly concentrated and complex wine. Allegrini affectionately refers to Palazzo della Torre as its “baby Amarone."

Winemaker Notes:

This wine is elegant and well balanced, with a good structure and aroma. Ruby red in color with purple hues, it offers light hints of raisins, sophisticated notes of vanilla, black pepper, cloves and cinnamon. It has a long, velvety finish and soft tannins.

Palazzo della Torre easily pairs with various Italian dishes, above all risottos, especially those flavored with saffron, porcini mushrooms and pork; classic dishes such as pasta with Amatriciana and Carbonara sauces, baked lasagna, gnocchi with gorgonzola cheese and walnuts; grilled meats and roasts. It also excels when matched with Parma ham and fine-cured Zibello pork loin, as well as medium-matured cheeses, especially Parmigiano Reggiano (Parmesan), pecorino and Monte Veronese.

Ratings & Reviews

95 Points - James Suckling:
"Corvina, corvinone, rondinella and sangiovese. In the past, all grapes were dried. Only corvinone today is dried due to the large berry size and greater liquid-to-solid ratio. While the oak is evident, this is clearly a full-weighted wine built to age. With this in mind, it serves as a structural addendum rather than a scream. Dark saturated cherry notes, kirsch, licorice strap, black olive tapenade and alpine herb, bound to an edgy twine of tannins, with an underlying raft of freshness conferring a sappy, crunchy feel and fine length. Drink or hold." 

                                                                                              
90 Points - Wine Enthusiast
"A portion of this wine undergoes a drying process called appassimento and then is blended into the non-dried wine. This process gives the wine richness and intensity while also keeping the freshness needed to balance out the wine. Aromas of blackberry, cassis, sour cherry, mixed herbs and dried violets spill from the glass. The palate is rich yet in balance, with savory notes and forest floor combining with the densely packed fruit, and a perfectly timed pop of acidity on the finish."

90 Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate:
"A blend of Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella and Sangiovese, the 2020 Palazzo della Torre is luscious, dark and exceedingly contemporary in style and execution. This is a soft and well-textured expression with layers of ripe fruit, black cherry, spice, bitter chocolate and tangy Spanish cedar from oak aging. The oak is quite dominate, so be ready for this particular stylistic approach."

Wine Spectator:

"A juicy, balanced red, framed by light, supple tannins, this offers flavors of damson plum preserves, dark chocolate and black cherry coulis, backed by hints of anise, sage and espresso. Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella and Sangiovese. Drink now."