Dal Forno Romano, Amarone Della Valpolicella, Monte Lodoletta, Veneto, 2016 (750 Ml)

95 Points Wine Advocate

This wine is made with special vacuum technology that prevents contact with oxygen. The Dal Forno Romano 2016 Amarone della Valpolicella Monte Lodoletta has developed nicely over the years to show savory smoky notes and a mineral tone of crushed stone or aspirin. This is a thickly concentrated effort with enormous volume and richness. The wood is elegantly integrated, although the tannins remain astringent. Those still need to be tamed (as much as is possible) with more time in bottle. Vintner Romano Dal Forno has handed over most winery responsibilities to his son Marco. His other two sons, Luca and Michele, have transitioned over to the newly acquired Comaroto property that is also based in Illasi. For all practical purposes, Marco has been running the family estate since 2020. There have been a few winemaking tweaks under Marco's guide. "In terms of production, I want to maintain the same style that we achieved in the past. Since the 2016 and 2019 vintages, I have looked for more precision in our fruit. I want to keep the same structure of the wine, but I would like it to be more accessible," he says. Since the 2011 vintage, the Dal Forno family has fermented to dryness except for the 2017 vintage (with 2.1 grams per liter of residual sugar in the Amarone) and the 2016 vintage (with 0.6 grams per liter, which is practically nothing). Before 2011, the estate's Amarone could see as much as six to seven grams per liter of residual sugar. "To achieve phenolic ripeness without excess sugar means producing half a kilo of fruit per vine," says Marco. "Canopy management and choosing which side of the row to pull leaves is very important." Marco has developed his own sustainability protocols. Since 2010, the estate has worked with an in-house specialist who monitors the ecosystem of insects in the vineyards. The insects' behavior determines which parcels need pin-point treatments. The aim is to achieve better balance in the vineyards, but to also maintain the personality of the vintage. The drying room for appassimento contains 48 rows of computerized ventilators. When humidity rises, the fans are programed to blow stronger and when outside conditions are dryer, the fans blow at lower speeds. The idea is to maintain a standard of 50% to 60% humidity in the appassimento hangar. The Valpolicella sees between 25 and 30 days of appassimento compared to 75 to 80 days for the Amarone. The Valpolicella is made with fruit from the estate's young vines, and 20+-year-old plants give fruit for the Amarone. The average age of vines for the Amarone is 40 years old. All winemaking is performed in vacuum-sealed, oxygen-free conditions. "If oxygen is introduced, then we have made a mistake," says Marco. In 2024, the winery returned to using 100% French oak for both the Valpolicella Superiore and the Amarone. From 2002 to 2010, they used 100% American oak. In 2011 and 2012, they used only French oak. But in 2013 to 2023, they settled on a combination of 50% French oak and 50% American oak for the Amarone. The Valpolicella Superiore on the other hand is 70% French oak and 30% American oak in 2019. Marco would like to extended cellar aging by a couple of years to allow the consumer a better experience (with more integrated tannins). In the past, the Amarone saw seven years of aging, but that will be extended to nine years. The 2020 vintage of Amarone will be sold in 2029 following barrel aging and five years in bottle. Marco is changing some of the oak aging regime and does not exclude a future use of used barrels or bigger oak containers, maybe even botte (unthinkable just a few years ago). Since the epic 2004 vintage, Dal Forno no longer makes its Recioto della Valpolicella sweet wine. However, there is a secretive project to release a special selection of wine with 15 years of aging (in 22-hectoliter barrel with special thick oak staves). The wine could possibility be released as an IGT, but details are scarce at this point. This special selection was put aside in 2015, 2016 and 2021.