L'Arco wines with winemaker Luca Fedrigo

Zupans put on another great event in their downstairs cellar (though only 7 guests showed up!). This time the winemaker of L'Arco, Luca Fedrigo, joined us for a guided tour through his wines. A very interesting story, how Luco was dating Quintarelli's grand daughter (I think it was?), which allowed him the opportunity to study with Quintarelli (a much envied position). He stayed there for a number of years until he took over his Uncle's vines and began producing his own wines (previously all those grapes were sold off to the larger houses). Now all of L'Arco's wines are estate grown, and the entire production is kept for his own label. Very interesting, generally traditional wines presented today, and it was fantastic to talk directly to the winemaker about his wares. An enlightening discussion about some of my favorites wines of the world.

• 2003 L'Arco Rosso Veronese IGT 89 Points

  Italy, Veneto, Veronese IGT

  A blend of 6-7 different varieties, including Sangiovese and Nebbiolo. Nose was very lush and pretty, showing sour red fruits (cranberry), rocks, minerlas, salt, and a slightly funky gummy bear. An awesome nose... light, but very complex and interesting. Bigger red fruits on the palate, bery tasting, though not as complex as the nose. An easy drinker, with light tannins on the finish. It's tart, but also showing very bright fruit. Delicious, though very light. Coming back to this after the Amarone and Recioto still showed the fantastic nose yet quite light, though the body felt completely empty after the likes of the others. Still, a fantastic wine for what it is. If the nose could follow through with greater complexity on the palate, this could be a 90+ point wine.

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• 2003 L'Arco Valpolicella Classico Superiore 90 Points

  Italy, Veneto, Valpolicella, Valpolicella Classico Superiore

  A little bit hot and astringent compared to the Rosso Veronese, though very nice in the same light, showing some minerality, crushed berry seeds, and cranberry. Very soft and beautiful on the palate, showing tasty red fruits. Some alcohol in the form of spiciness shows itself on the finish, but it's still soft and beautiful overall. An easy drinking wine as well. The Veronese was lighter and more complex, but this has sexy body and a luscious finish which makes it a bit more pleasing to drink.

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• 2003 L'Arco Pario Veronese IGT 91 Points

  Italy, Veneto, Veronese IGT

  Funky wood shavings on the nose; very rich fruit, dried cherries and strawberries, rich, and "thick" smelling on the nose. This is big and creamy on the palate, with rich, luscious dried berries. Candied dried berries also present themselves on the finish, along with some raisins, but mainly this is about the red fruits. Some spicy notes develop as well as some smoky flavors linger on the palate. There's a bit of alcohol noticeable on the finish, but this is very tasty and seductive. Interesting that I found this (50% Amarone, 50% Valpolicella) better than the straight Amarone.

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• 2003 L'Arco Rubeo Veronese IGT 88 Points

  Italy, Veneto, Veronese IGT

  Deeper, darker fruits present on this one, but it also smells a but sugary and candied. Very creamy fruit on the palate, candied, lush, and thick. Finish is delicious, with dark fruits, and entirely candied. This is tasty and can trick a lot of folks into deliciousness, but for me it's just too much extract and sugariness. I failed to ask what the residuals on this were, but I tastes likes a couple percent. I think Bussola did this style (Appassimento Bordeaux varietals) quite a bit better in the same year.

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• 2003 L'Arco Amarone della Valpolicella Classico 89 Points

  Italy, Veneto, Valpolicella, Amarone della Valpolicella Classico

  Overall, very disappointing. Certainly smells like Amarone, and there is some alcohol coming through. Overall, nothing sets this apart from any other Amarone. The palate is rich and thick, as you'd expect, but not too interesting for an Amarone. Interesting that this is the lowest scoring of the Covina Blend L'Arco wines for me (yes, I enjoyed the Valpolicella and Veronese better). Tried two bottles with similar results. Considering I liked the 50% Amarone, 50% Valpolicella blend, Pario, better than this, perhaps this wine just needs some additional time to open up and smooth out.

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• 2003 L'Arco Recioto della Valpolicella Classico 93 Points

  Italy, Veneto, Valpolicella, Recioto della Valpolicella Classico

  Some coffee notes, and very rich and concentrated on the nose. Fat and thick on the palate, showing luscious body, almost like drinking cream. Huge dark berry fruits present throughout. This is a bit sour on the finish, almost like slightly under ripe blackberries. Fantastic taste and finish. Very tart on the finish, which lingers a while... much more so than any other Recioto I've had, which keeps this one very interesting.

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