Brigaldara Cavolo Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG 2018

Brigaldara's well-crafted "Cavolo" Amarone is deep garnet red with aromas of red plum and wild red berries, cherry jam, dried violets, cocoa powder, delicate mineral hints and balsamic spice. The palate is elegant, rounded, rich, lush and poised, with vibrant acidity supporting a core of red berry, cherry, plum and vanilla, with hints of dried grapes and spicy notes. The earthy finish is long, marked by a pleasant sweet-and-savoury note and a subtle saline touch.

Cavolo comes from the vineyard of the same name, an east-facing site that receives the morning sun while remaining sheltered from the afternoon heat by the mountain above. This exposure allows the vines to dry quickly on humid mornings and to ripen without thermal stress during the warmest hours of the day. The result is an Amarone with generous structure and a particularly rounded, balanced profile.

A blend of 21% Corvinone, 59% Corvina, 17% Rondinella and 3% other native varietals, Amarone Cavolo is crafted through a meticulous winemaking process, starting from the selection of the finest grapes in the vineyard. The grapes are hand-harvested during the second half of September, and only the sparsest and best-exposed bunches are picked for the production of this unique wine. These bunches are then left to dry in a controlled environment for around 120 days, a process that concentrates the noble components of the grapes and imparts them into the wine.

The grapes are fermented while in contact with the skins, ensuring maximum extraction of color and flavor. To enhance this extraction, the wine is pumped over twice a day, with a delestage half-way through fermentation. The wine is then aged in wooden barrels for at least four years, with two years in small barrels and two years in large barrels. This aging process contributes to the wine’s structure, complexity and elegance.

The name Brigaldara first appears in a deed from 1260, referring to a cluster of farmhouses and the surrounding countryside near San Floriano, in the heart of the Valpolicella Classica district. Today the estate is owned by the Cesari family, with winemaker Stefano Cesari overseeing about fifty hectares of vineyards and olive groves. The winery favors natural, traditional production methods, aiming to let each wine reflect the character of this long-cultivated terroir just outside the Marano valley.