Masi Risotto Rendezvous

An Amarone Wine Education and Risotto Cooking Demonstration with Raffaele Boscaino.

The 2006 Masi Amarone Costasera was paired with an amazing plate of Mushroom, Cognac and cream Risotto. The question of what to pair with Amarone is always thrown back and forth, this flight provided a perfect answer to that question. The Mushroom and cognac risotto was rich enough to handle the power of the Amarone and flavorful enough to create a push and pull of taste sensations.

• 2006 Masi Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Costasera 90 Points

  Italy, Veneto, Valpolicella, Amarone della Valpolicella Classico

  The nose showed dark fruits, black cherry, and espresso bean. On the palate, it was beautifully balanced and fresh, something I don’t often expect from an Amarone, yet the Costasera had it in spades. Rich red and black fruits swept across the palate with hints of spice and perfectly integrated vanilla. The finish was long with dark fruit and a hint of bitters.

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It was a 2001 Serego Alighieri Amarone Riserva that made me fall in love with the style. A unique Amarone that treads the line between richness and finesse and with a set of aromas and flavors all its own. With months of aging in cherry wood casks as a stipulation set forth by the Alighieri family, the Vaio Armaron has a rich, deep and earthy profile with tremendous balance. The 2003 made me fall in love all over again.

• 2003 Masi Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Serègo Alighieri Vaio Armaron 93 Points

  Italy, Veneto, Valpolicella, Amarone della Valpolicella Classico

  The nose showed ripe black cherry, herbs, minerals and a hint of barnyard. I truly Italian wine in that earthy, wild and sexy way that makes so many of us fall in love with Italy. On the palate, it was smooth and burst with spicy cherry jam and cherry wood, dry but with velvety tannin, which promises over a decade of development. The finish lasted for over 30 seconds and added cocoa and aged wood to the canvas. I truly loved drinking this wine.

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Paired with a Rissoto al Amarone that was sinfully good. These two wines showed amazing pedigree and aging potential with well deliniated flavors, yet they still retained that big Amarone personality that I love about these wines. The Risotto was simply amazing, made with a healthy dose of Amarone and bone marrow, which gave it a big, smooth, rich mouthfeel and flavor.

• 2001 Masi Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Mazzano 92 Points

  Italy, Veneto, Valpolicella, Amarone della Valpolicella Classico

  The nose showed rich black cherry, spice, dark chocolate, and a hint of old wood and tobacco. On the palate, it was full bodied balanced by juicy acidity with firm tannins wrapped in sweet raspberry fruit, plum and hints of cinnamon stick. The finish was long with sour cherry and chocolate flavors

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• 2001 Masi Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Campolongo di Torbe 92 Points

  Italy, Veneto, Valpolicella, Amarone della Valpolicella Classico

  The nose showed raisins, bright cherry, tree bark, herbs, leather and a hint of citrus. On the palate, it had gripping tannins but was perfectly balanced by rich red fruit, dark chocolate and sweet spices. The finish was long and elegant with sweet red fruits and slight drying tannin that promises long-term development in the cellar.

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Unfortunately, the Casal Dei Ronchi is not imported, because I'd love to taste this with a little more age on the bottle. Very young and ripe but highly enjoyable. It was paired with a Summer Berry Risotto that was amazing. I've never put much thought into dessert risotto but now I feel that I have to change that.

• 2007 Masi Recioto della Valpolicella Classico Serègo Alighieri Casal dei Ronchi 90 Points

  Italy, Veneto, Valpolicella, Recioto della Valpolicella Classico

  The nose showed dark chocolate covered cherries, with cinnamon and earth. On the palate, it was plush and mouth coating as flavors of macerated cherries, Christmas spices and vanilla. The finish lasted for over a minute with sweet ripe cherries and clove.

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The Amarone of Masi performed beautifully at all levels. Leaving this tasting, I was struck with the overall impression that these were some of the most balanced and finessed Amarone that I had ever tasted.