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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 93.5 pts. and median of 93 pts. in 13 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by Inforred on 7/27/2023 & rated 95 points: A bit closed at first, but opened nicely with time. Not heavy, but explosive and well integrated flavors with a really long finish. Quintarelli is a genius imo (625 views) | | | Tasted by Sotto325 on 10/3/2020 & rated 91 points: Everything Quintarelli did was, at a minimum, special--and often extraordinary. This wine shows as well the amazing transformation of Valpolicella-type blends that he took from mediocrity into the fine wine category. Over the years, the Rosso ca del Merlo has evolved from a more rough-hewn wine into a more integrated melange. In that journey, however, I think that it has lost a little bit of its edge, and this bottling was very pleasant, but not exceptional. It needed two hours of decanting and developed a very nice lush, chocolate and tobacco undertone with the usual very dark black/red hue. The complexity was decent, the marriage with a gutsy Italian meal was very nice, but the satisfaction was not on the level of his great Amarone or the DFR Valpolicella. (2316 views) | | | Tasted by mike l. on 4/19/2020 & rated 93 points: this was closed at first but after 5 hours in a decanter showed plenty of dry hot exquisite red and blue fruit. very clean elegant wine, not super extracted or rich, more balanced. very good bottle. not sure there's huge upside to holding for super long. (2240 views) | | | Tasted by Gunakadeit on 6/20/2019 & rated 95 points: Recent notes here are on point, plus licorice, kirsch and campfire smoke. Bursting with flavor. Lively and delightful. If I had any of these in my cellar, I would try very hard to resist drinking them for another 5-10 years. (2666 views) | | | Tasted by isaacjamesbaker on 3/23/2019 & rated 93 points: Italian night (Washington, DC): What a gorgeous wine. Loving the smoky, anise, pepper, tobacco complexities on the nose, along with dark, rich currant and plums. Full and grippy but suave and lively. Pretty fruit, but I’m most fascinated by these smoky, peppery, savory, earthy complexities that come out with air. Many years of sleep ahead. (2919 views) | | | Tasted by Sotto325 on 12/24/2018 & rated 93 points: A very nicely blended Quintarelli, lacking the jarring edges that so wonderfully capture most of his wines. This step up from his Valpolicella is smoothly integrated, with a medium body, dark raisiny color, and a good mixture of mildly expressed, prune, chocolate, fig, moist earth, leather and smoke. Overall, not the wine for a massive steak but rather poultry or cheese. Decant for 2 hours. (2613 views) | | | Tasted by bps2266 on 12/5/2018 & rated 94 points: given a 4 hour slow ox before serving. brilliant dark cranberry color. nose is classic quintarelli with sweet ripe tobacco, cherry, fig, resin, and herbs. medium bodied and a fresh acidity that is less characteristic of other bottles i've had but gives the wine a nice lift. the mouth feel is impeccable as always. ripe red cherry, maraschino cherry, and and earthy, herbal finish. mild smooth, round, fine tannin on the end. finish is lengthy. some how a bit brighter and lighter than some of his other bottles. (1571 views) | | | Tasted by PeterjW on 8/10/2018 & rated 95 points: succulent complex with cedar and spice with beautiful balance - fantastic wine (1613 views) | | | Tasted by franinnyc on 1/14/2018 & rated 93 points: Even better than 7 months ago. Just excellent with my sausage and broccoli rabe. (1740 views) | | | Tasted by franinnyc on 7/23/2017 & rated 92 points: Terrific. Very light easy delicious drinking. Earth tobacco with a hint of fruit. Smoooth (2086 views) | | | Tasted by andrewdodd86 on 7/1/2017 & rated 96 points: Fig, jam, tobacco central, candied cherries due to higher alcohol. Love it (1903 views) |
| Giuseppe QuintarelliThis material is pieced together from various websites.
Article 1:
LOCATION:
Negrar (VR), Valpolicella area, Veneto region
WINES:
Primo Fiore IGT, Valpolicella Classico DOC, Amarone della Valpolicella Classico DOCG, Amarone Riserva DOCG, Rosso del Bepi IGT, Alzero, Amabile del Cerč, Recioto della Valpolicella DOCG
VINEYARDS:
The oldest among the current Quintarelli vineyards have been acquired by his father in 1924 near the town of Negrar. In 1980 Giuseppe made some important additions to the estate and in 1985 began introducing new grape varieties such as nebbiolo, croatina, cabernet franc and sauvignon. Today the vineyards spread through the east side of the valley of Negrar, and they are overseen from the estate cellars located on the peak of the Cŕ Paletta hill in Cerč di Negrar. Pergola Veronese training system is used in the older vineyards, and Guyot in the newer ones. While corvina remains the dominant grape variety, you can also find here vibrant plots of rondinella, molinara, cabernet sauvignon and franc, nebbiolo, croatina and sangiovese among the reds, and garganega, trebbiano toscano, sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, and saorin (a clone of tocai) among the whites. From the grapes yielded by these vineyards Quintarelli produces 60.000 bottles a year.
COMPANY:
Quintarelli family has been producing wine for more than 100 years, first in an area called Figŕri and then from 1924 in Negrar, the heart of the Valpolicella Classico area. Quintarelli is often termed Valpolicella's magician and the best producer of Amarone and Reciotto. His approach is renowned to be strongly traditionalist with only a few concessions to modernity. For example, he ages his Amarone in Slavonian oak vats for seven years, just like his father taught him to. Nevertheless, this “traditionalist” has undertaken several highly innovative winemaking projects. For example, he began producing a white wine – something very unusual in the Valpolicella area. Then he crafted a delicious blend “Primo Fiore” which combines corvina, cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc grapes. Finally, he invented the extremely rare and coveted Alzero which is made from slowly dried cabernet franc grapes. Quintarelli was also the first to experiment with nebbiolo grapes in the Valpolicella area.
Quintarelli’s approach to winemaking always sacrifices quantity for quality. The yields are held extremely low through pruning and green harvest, and grapes’ flavor is further intensified by the “appassimento”, or drying, where the grapes lose 50% of their volume. Quintarelli inspects his bunches grape-by-grape, and those that do not pass his rigorous standards are discarded. After being harvested manually into wooden boxes, bunches are placed on wooden racks where they are dried for 5 months. After the appassimento is complete, then begins a very slow fermentation and finally the aging, which for Amarone takes 7 years, and for Amarone Riserva 10 years. Quintarelli uses Slavonian oak barrels for all wines except for Alzero which is aged in barriques.
Quintarelli wines continue to astonish the world with their concentrated flavors and structure, and although his reds rarely have less that 15% of alcohol, their concentrated sugars assure a superbly elegant equilibrium. These wines can age beautifully 20 or more years.
NOTES:
The labels of Quintarelli wines have been hand drawn by his family, and to this day they are attached manually to each bottle, with a glue and a brush. This detail reflects the essence of an artisanal winemaker that cherishes every single bottle he produces.
While appassimento, or the drying of grapes, has characterized the winemaking in Valpolicella for decades, the personal signature of Quintarelli has been the very long aging in Slavonian oak barrels. After wines have been bottled, he often keeps them in the cellar without selling them, waiting until they are “ready”.
In 1900 Giuseppe Quintarelli’s father began exporting his wines to the United States in barrels of about 50 liters. Hence the Quintarelli wines have been enjoyed in North America for more than 100 years.
Quintarelli’s Valpolicella is one of the few red wines in the world which pairs extremely well with fish.
Article 2:
The company is located in Cerč of Negrar, Mount Cŕ Paletta, on the East side of the valley of Negrar. The vineyard is in the West and the ground is limestone basalt. The farming system of the vineyards, in older plants, and in Pergola Veronese, in the new, Guyot. The company was founded at the beginning of the century with Silvio Quintarelli, who, along with his brothers as sharecroppers cultivating the vineyards of locations Figari, in the municipality of Marano di Valpolicella.
The wine produced is then already exported to the U.S. , in barrels of 50 liters, by the owner of the fund. After the First World War, precisely in 1924, the company moved into the valley of Negrar , in the locality Cerč, where Silvio continues its work with the invaluable help of his sons and his wife . In the 50s, Giuseppe, the youngest son, took over the management of the company to continue the family tradition , the vineyard and the cellar. They are new and specialize the vineyards, increase the barrels and requests.
By the time the business gets bigger and bigger, but that does not distract the attention to the traditional method, which is strictly maintained, with constant love and dedication, along with his wife, daughters and to the loyal employees. The years from `50 to `55 are fundamental to the cellar. Recioto is an important wine and the vintage where there appears to be less generous giving a wine that is dry, it still attempts to keep it for subsequent years.
This experience has led a "method" which leads to a wine, Amarone, of high quality and that is discovered and appreciated by connoisseurs important . Amarone comes from the respect for nature, in the cultivation of the vine, from a patient and careful selection of grapes and a strong bond with tradition. In the 80s, following a reorganization of the property, with the purchase of new vineyards, optimizes production and you make important changes in the selection of the grapes and then in production. Since 1985, in fact, are regularly used grape varieties such as Nebbiolo, Croatina, Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon, with excellent results. Birth of a wine, I will raise, result of experience and knowledge in grape drying technique , peculiarities of the tradition of the Valpolicella. Two features accompany the wines produced by: a natural predisposition to long aging, which leads to improve the product even more than twenty years, and a surprising liveliness, which are expressed for a long time after opening the bottle.
Article 3:
The late, great Maestro del Veneto, Giuseppe Quintarelli, succeeded in establishing his mythical and legendary estate during an amazing sixty-year career. All of the tradition, love, heart, and soul of crafting one of the world’s finest wines continue at the Quintarelli home and winery in the hills north of Verona. Giuseppe’s daughter Fiorenza, his son-in-law Giampaolo, and his grandsons Francesco and Lorenzo are all keeping a close watch over the family’s legacy.
It is impossible to speak about Quintarelli without superlatives. The name itself stands for so much: the family, the wines, a style, a tradition, a way of doing things. After all the time, effort, patience, and care that go into the making of a bottle of Quintarelli, it truly does mean so much more than wine. Giuseppe, fondly known as “Bepi” to those closest to him, was a perfectionist in every way. From the beautiful handwritten labels, to the best possible quality cork, to the exquisite wine in the bottles, the Quintarelli name is a stamp of authenticity and the ultimate indication of an artisanal, handmade, uncompromising wine of the highest quality.
Nothing is ever hurried at Quintarelli. The wines take their time and are given the time they need. In the still, quiet calm of the family cellars above the town of Negrar, along the winding via del Cerč, deep in the Valpolicella zone, the wine from the family’s hillside vineyards ages patiently and gracefully in large casks until it is ready. Every release is a masterpiece, a testament to time, tradition, skill, and passion, the creations of a master artisan. You can’t really compare these wines to any other in the region, or anywhere else in the world. They really are in a class and a category all their own.
Multiple passages through the vineyards produce a myriad of wines, many produced using the appassimento technique whereby the grapes are dried on rush mats before being pressed and made into wine. From the delicious and seductive Bianco Secco, to the benchmark Valpolicella that created a revolution in the thinking about what it was possible to produce in this region, to the Rosso del Bepi and Amarones produced according to the quality of the harvest, to the otherworldly Recioto and the exceedingly rare Bandito, the sheer artistry and depth of the range is truly exceptional.
Article 4:
From http://www.escapementmagazine.com/azienda-agricola-giuseppe-quintarelli-amarone-della-valpolicella-classico-docg.html
Grown and produced in the Veneto Valpolicella growing region of north-eastern Italy, not far from Verona, Amarone della Valpolicella is an intensely flavorsome red wine, made from dried grapes and the one produced by the Azienda Agricola Giuseppe Quintarelli is arguably the most prestigious red wine of the region.
It is almost impossible to mention the name Quintarelli without resorting to superlatives. The name evokes much more than a family name. It stands for traditional values, exquisite wines, a unique style and method of working that reflects a great amount of time, effort, care and patience being invested in each bottle of wine produced. No wonder that these artisanal attributes are further embellished by the use of beautifully handwritten labels and corks of the highest quality to indicate that the vineyard produces handmade, artisanal wines of the finest quality. Giuseppe Quintarelli was truly an uncompromising perfectionist.
History
The company was established at the beginning of the twentieth century by Silvio Quintarelli, who, along with his brothers cultivated vineyards under a share-cropping system at Figŕri, in the municipality of Marano di Valpolicella.
After the First World War Silvio established his own estate in 1924 in the valley of Negrar, in the small hamlet of Cerč in the heart of the Valpolicella Classico area.
Giuseppe (always referred to as 'Bepi') was Silvio’s youngest son, born on 19 March, 1927. He took over the estate in 1950 and immediately launched a programme of gradual improvement and expansion, working tirelessly to produce wines of ever better quality. His pursuit of perfection extended to better bottles, corks and Quintarelli’s distinctive labels, many of which were hand-drawn and hand-glued onto the bottles by Quintarelli and other members of his family.
Today the 12ha (29.65 acres) of vineyards stretches along the length of the eastern side of the Negrar valley and its grapes are stored and vinified in the estate cellars located on the peak of the Cŕ Paletta hill in Cerč di Negrar.
Giuseppe Quintarelli died on 15 January, 2012 but his legacy is continued by his wife, Franca, four daughters and several grandchildren. As Quintarelli became more incapacitated by the Parkinson's Disease that eventually killed him, his daughter Fiorenza took over the day-to-day operations of the vineyard, with the help of her husband, Giampaolo Grigoli, and their children Francesco and Lorenzo.
The vineyards
The oldest of the current Quintarelli vineyards were those acquired by his father, Silvio, in 1924, whose dominant grape variety was 'Corvina', with some 'Rondinella' and 'Molinara'. Then in 1980 Giuseppe began increasing the size of the estate and in 1985, he began introducing new grape varieties like 'Nebbiolo', 'Croatina', 'Cabernet Franc', 'Cabernet Sauvignon' and 'Sangiovese' among the reds. Vibrant plots of 'Garganega', 'Trebbiano Toscano', 'Sauvignon Blanc', 'Chardonnay', and 'Saorin' can also be found here for the production of some white wines. Indeed, his 'Bianco Secco' was one of the first dry white wines produced in the Valpolicella region. From all the grapes yielded by these vineyards Quintarelli produces roughly 60.000 bottles of wine a year.
Amarone della Valpolicella, usually referred to as Amarone, is typically made from the partially dried grapes of the Corvina (the percentage in the blend varies between 45%-95%, of which up to 50% is allowed to be substituted with Corvinone; Rondinella (between 5%-30%) and (up to 25%) of other approved red grape varieties). The wine was awarded 'Denominazione di Origine Controllata' (DOC) status in December 1990, whilst on 4 December 2009, both Amarone and Recioto della Valpolicella (a sweeter type of wine produced using the same production methods) were promoted to the prestigious status of 'Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita' (DOCG). At Quintarelli the mix is around 55% Corvina and Corvinone, 30% Rondinella, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, Nebbiolo, Croatina and Sangiovese.
The name Amarone, literally means 'the Great Bitter', coming from the Italian word 'amaro'(bitter), and the suffix '-one', used to denote impressive size or volume.
Appellation
Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG
Owner
Azienda Agricola Quintarelli Giuseppe
Planted acreage
Total: 12 hectares (29.65 acres)
Grape varieties
55% Corvina and Corvinone, 30% Rondinella, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, Nebbiolo, Croatina, Sangiovese
Wines produced
Amarone della Valpolicella Classico DOCG
Amarone della Valpolicella Riserva DOCG
Amarone della Valpolicella Classico DOCG 'Selezione Giuseppe Quintarelli'
Other Wines Produced:
Primo Fiore IGT
Valpolicella Classico DOC
Rosso del Bepi IGT
Alzero
Amabile del Cerč
Recioto della Valpolicella DOCG
Terroir
Iron-rich limestone on a base of basaltic rock.
Production
Around 60,000 bottles annually (all wines).
Top Vintages Produced
1966, 1971, 1973, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1985, 1988, 1990, 1991,1993, 1995, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006.
Viticulture
The Quintarelli approach to winemaking means sacrificing quantity for quality. The yields are deliberately held extremely low by rigorous pruning and green harvesting (a form of crop thinning by removing unripe green clusters of grapes from the vines to restrict yields, enabling the remaining clusters to fully ripen).
The grapes tend to be picked later to further ensure ripeness, usually around the middle of October, selecting only those bunches that have fruits not too close to each other, to allow sufficient air flow.
After being harvested manually into wooden boxes, the bunches are closely inspected for quality before being placed on wooden racks where they are dried for close to 5 months in special drying chambers under controlled conditions.
The flavours and the remaining sugars of the grapes are further concentrated by being allowed to dry and shrivel in a process called 'rasinate' or 'appassimento' in Italian. During the time that this occurs, the grapes will lose up to 50% of their weight, resulting in intensely concentrated flavours and a very high sugar content, which in turn translates into 15% alcohol levels or even higher.
Once the 'rasinate' is complete, the grapes are gently pressed and go through a dry low temperature fermentation process which can last up to seven weeks, as the reduced water content of the grapes can slow down the process. The wine is then aged in Slavonian oak 'barriques', in which there is less wine- wood contact surface allowing the taste of the wine to become mellower and more supple, which for Amarone takes around seven years and for Amarone Riserva 10 years. Besides giving the Amarone a better structure, benefiting from such a long ageing time means that Amarone wines last longer, sometimes thirty years or more.
Amarone della Valpolicella, is a high-quality wine that is respected and appreciated by many important connoisseurs. Quintarelli Amarone comes from a respect for nature and a strong bond with tradition, meticulous care and attention to quality from the cultivation of the vine and the patient and careful selection of grapes to the fastidious oversight of the drying and aging processes. All this together with the use of twice the amount of grapes of normal wine to make one bottle and the possibilities along the way to its final bottling for an increased risk of spoilage and potential wine faults such as a high level of volatile acidity added to the time and space of storage of the ageing wines, no wonder then that it commands a premium price. That said, the resulting wine is generally considered one of the most complex wines produced in Italy.
Contact details
Address: Azienda Agricola Giuseppe Quintarelli Via Cerč, 1 37024 Negrar, Verona, Veneto, Italy.
Telephone: +39 045 750 0016
Email: giuseppe.quintarelli@tin.it
You can see more about the vineyard here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5JqADLmWsc
References
http://www.casaitalianovini.com/P%20veneto.html
http://www.wine-searcher.com/regions-amarone+della+valpolicella
http://www.veronissima.com/sito_inglese/html/wine_valpolicella-amarone-ing.html
http://www.valpolicellaweb.com/index.cfm/valpolicella-wineries/valpolicella/azienda_agricola_quintarelli_giuseppe/
http://www.kermitlynch.com/our-wines/quintarelli/
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/culture-obituaries/9048009/Giuseppe-Quintarelli.html
http://www.decanter.com/news/wine-news/529663/guiseppe-quintarelli- dies#lHObjWLcaropoGVP.99
MacNeil, Karen (2001).The Wine Bible. Workman Publishing, USA.
Johnson H & Robinson J (2013) The World Atlas of Wine 7th Edition, Octopus Publishing Group Ltd., London.
Johnson H, (2014) Hugh Johnson's Pocket Wine Book, 2015, Octopus Publishing Group Ltd., London
Clarke O, (2014) Pocket Wine Book 2015, Pavilion, London.
Corvina BlendPrimarily Corvina and Corvinone (45% to 95%), and Rondinella (5 to 30%). Sometimes includes Molinara, Oseleta, Negrara, Pelara, Spigamonti, etc, and, in small quantity, international red grapes allowed in the Valpolicella region.Italy Italian Wines (ItalianMade.com, The Italian Trade Commission) | Italian Wine Guide on the WineDoctorVeneto Credit to WineCountry.it for this article
History and Tradition
The first human settlements of the lagoon and the surrounding areas maintained a simple social structure until the arrival of the Romans in the second century B.C. who divided the land into parcels of about 4,800 square meters and distributed those tracts among the locals to be cultivated.
The Romans founded the cities of Verona, Vicenza, and Padova, and named what was then the 10th imperial region, Venetia. Both the Veneto region and the province of Venice (Venezia in Italian) derive their names from the original Latin name of the area. The precursor of the city of Venice that we know today was founded during the Middle Ages when the locals escaped the barbaric invasions that followed the decline of the Roman Empire by taking refuge in coastal areas, islands, and the lagoon’s marshland.
The Venetian trade routes that connected Europe with Asia brought great wealth and general prosperity to the region. In many provinces, especially around Treviso, mulberry cultivation and the breeding of silkworms imported from China brought more affluence and prestige to local residents. With money pouring in from all quarters, Venice began its great building projects, chief among them creating the lagoon and canal infrastructure and systems still enjoyed and used today.
Between the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th centuries following the opening of the Suez Canal, Venice once again became an important port city. Foreign investment financed the creation of the industrial infrastructure of Porto Marghera and freed the port of Venice from the burden of commercial navigation. Improved communications technology has allowed the rest of Italy and the world beyond closer ties to Venice, and has contributed to making Venice into an incomparable tourist destination.
The long period of power and splendor that blessed Venice encouraged the highest quality creations by local artisans. The ongoing request for jewelry, precious fabrics, lace, glass, wood and ceramic products by the noble Venetians shaped the development of typical stores along the narrow calli (streets) of Venice as well as factories both inland and on the lagoon islands. Up to today, popular tourist destinations are the Murano and Burano islands, famed for their glasswork and needlepoint products.
The Wines
Veneto is among the foremost wine-producing regions, both for quality and quantity. The region counts over 20 DOC zones and a variety of sub-categories, many of its wines, both dry and Spumanti, are internationally known and appreciated.
The three most well known DOCs are Bardolino, from the town with the same name and surrounding the shores of Garda Lake, Valpolicella, and Soave. Other noteworthy wines produced here are the white Bianco di Custoza, the excellent sparkling Prosecco, the Breganze, and the Amarone (a rich and powerful red from the Verona province). If you travel to the Treviso area, look for the little-known Clinton, a wine that is banned from distribution because it does not conform to the DOC standards, but is produced in limited quantities for local consumption.
The importance of winemaking in this region is underscored by the creation in 1885 of the very first Italian school for vine growing and oenology. In addition, Veneto was the first region to constitute the first strada del vino or "wine road". This first wine-touring road featured special road signs providing information on vines and the wines they were made into and joined the Valdobbiadene and Conegliano DOC zones crossing a series of hilly vineyards.
The most appreciated wines in the region come from the provinces of Treviso, Verona, Padova, Venice, and Vicenza. The area around Verona, with its temperate climate and hilly surrounding, is believed to have cultivated grapes since the Bronze Age. |
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