Giuseppe Quintarelli "Alzero" Cabernet 2014
(Veneto, Italy), 3.0 L Double Magnum
Regular price $2,399.97
About the Wine:
Alzero is one of the hardest wines to find from Quintarelli and like his Amarones, can be counted among the greatest wines of Italy. The wine is made in almost the same way as his Amarones in that this is 100% appassimento. The grapes are harvested and then left to dry until mid-December, then crushed and fermented in the usual way. The wine spends the same amount of time in barrel as the Amarones, but part of that time is spent in French oak, then transferred to large Slavonian oak casks. The main difference between Alzero and the Amarone is that this is made from Cabernet Franc (40%), Cabernet Sauvignon (40%) and Merlot (20%), but make no mistake, this is not a 'me too' Super Tuscan or Bordeaux/Napa style wine by any measure. This is a Quintarelli wine, and that means no compromise, no wavering from their 'tradition-or-die' philosophy.
Vinification & Viticulture:
• Harvested before most other grapes, at the end of August and beginning of September
• Careful selection of grapes during harvest
• After harvest, grapes sit in wooden boxes or on rush mats
• Dried grapes are pressed in mid-December
• Grapes are pressed and after 20 days of maceration, alcoholic fermentation begins with indigenous yeasts
• Fermentation lasts approximately 50 days
• Wine is then aged in French barrels for two or three years, then racked into Slavonian oak barrels for four more years
• During this aging process, additional alcoholic fermentations take place
Tasting Notes
The aromatics continue the theme of the Amarone with notes of camphor, woodlands, liqueur cherries, perhaps with the tobacco more to the fore, then supported with spicy, leafy notes.
Varietal Composition: 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Cabernet Franc, 20% Merlot
Age of the Vines: 30 years average
Soil: Limestone and Basalt
Ratings & Reviews
96 Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (2012 Vintage):"The Quintarelli Giuseppe 2012 Cabernet Alzero (packaged in a heavy glass bottle) is a stunning wine that delivers a level of cautious brawn, intensity and fruit weight that sets this wine apart within the portfolio. The blend is 40% Cabernet Franc, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Merlot, and the grapes all undergo a few months of appassimento. I've been asked about possible perception of VA (volatile acidity) that can sometimes appear in wines made with air-dried fruit. As a much-respected Italian colleague once told me, "serve a dare spalla," ("it gives a shoulder to the wine"), and I can't help but admire the beautifully lifted and upright quality of the bouquet that appears especially radiant and buoyant in this wine. The magic, whatever it is, works."