Amarone della Valpolicella 2006

Romano Dal Forno is Veneto's 'Grape King' and also one of the kings of Amarone, Italy's great 'Monster' wine. This bold statement ignites the debate: Dal Forno or Quintarelli, who makes the better wine? Both produce world-class cellar wines, and at this level it’s a taster’s preference: do you like Dal Forno’s modern, hedonistic expression of the ancient grapes or the austere, rustic style of sire Guiseppe Quintarelli? The one sure thing is that these two are in a superior class all to themselves. Both produce “revelation” wines – the kind that will change how you look beneath the colors in a glass.

The great richness of Dal Forno's wines is derived from the extremely low yields of this artisan's 12.5-hectare estate outside the Classico zone. His dense, creamy Valpolicella is among the best of the Veneto, and his 'Nettare' is part of the comeback of garganega, the grape behind Soave that we find here formally dressed as a white passito dessert wine. In fact, all of his are "experience" wines, transporting you to a new level of wine appreciation.