2003 Masi Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Campolongo di Torbe

Community Tasting Notes (5) Avg Score: 92.1 points

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  11/15/2020 - acheng wrote: 92 Points

  A wine of elegance and classicism now after all these years. Dark chocolate and espresso with medicinal herbs. Soft tannin and the alcohol has completely harmonized with the structure of the wine.

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  4/22/2013 - forceberry wrote: 97 Points

  A blend of Corvina (70%), Rondinella (20-25%) and Molinara (5-10%); the grapes are raisined for 4-5 months. The resulting concentrated wine is fermented for some 45-50 days until dry, after which the wine is aged for 3 years in large casks of 3000-4000 liters (60%) and 600-liter oak barrels (40%), of which 1/3 are new, 1/3 second use and 1/3 third use. After the oak aging the wine is bottled and aged for a further 6 months before release.
  
  Very dark and pretty completely opaque dark cherry color with a mahogany hue and moderate bricking towards the rim. Incredibly rich, expressive and complex nose that suggests a lot of sweetness. There are aromas of prunes, raisins, tobacco, some sweet oxidative complexity, a little savory wood character, a whiff of smoke and a touch of alcohol. Although the wine is incredibly rich, silky and even mouthfillingly full-bodied, it still feels slightly lighter than the previous two wines (Costasera and Costasera Riserva). The concentrated flavors of sweet prunes and cherry juice are the most obvious, but underneath them is a kaleidoscope of complex flavors, like dried figs, madeirized nuttiness, sweet but pungent cigar smoke, dark chocolate bitterness, some sour cherry tand and even a hint of mushrooms. Overall the wine tastes like a dry Port with an Italian twist. Despite its concentration the wine feels remarkably balanced, harmonious and structured due to its relatively high acidity and firm, ample and chewy tannins. Especially the fine balance between the sweet notes and the rather pronounced bitterness is spectacular. The finish is much drier and more savory than the rather sweet midpalate with pronounced, even quite bitter flavors of sour cherry, mushroomy sous-bois, herbal bitterness, a little vanilla, slightly spicy oak and a hint of leather in the aftertaste. As the other flavors fade, slightly oxidative notes of raisins, prunes and nuttiness emerge and linger on for minutes.
  
  Although not as massive and monolithic as Masi's Costasera Riserva, this is immensely more attractive due to its incredible depth, complexity and balance. There is lots and lots of youthful fruit, but also a fairly noticeable, slightly oxidative undercurrent of more developed notes, bringing the wine such harmony it is hard to come up with a wine that could be as impressive as this. My go-to Amarone at the moment; or it would be, were it not so expensive (101,50€) and hard to come by. Still worth its price, though. Very highly recommended.

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  1/7/2011 - cosmin_grozea wrote: 91 Points

  The 2003 Campolongo di Torbe has an elegant nose with aromas of mushrooms (predominantly), chocolate, a mix of fresh ripe dark fruits, tobacco and cocoa. In the mouth the wine is full body with silky and round tannins, nice acidity, great balance of the 16% alcohol, with sweet dried plums and blackberries and a nice medium plus finish with spicy chocolate in the aftertaste. Excellent wine but pricey – the wine sells for about 100 EUR.

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  3/13/2010 - WannabeRenaissanceMan wrote: 96 Points

  Phenomenal. Nose was chocolate, black currants, strawberry and raspberry jam. It was very rich on the palate - almost like a port. Undertones of chocolate, raspberry jam with a hint of cherry pie. One of the best wines if not the best that I've ever had.

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  11/25/2008 - Double-A Likes this wine: 93 Points

  Cherry, nut, raisin and chocolate nose. Weighty palate with good tannin and fresh acidity. Long, tarry, mushroomy finish.
  4.5/5

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