Valpolicella Superiore DOC – 2008
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Introduction
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WINERY The Dal Forno family has been making wine since 1983. Located in Val D’Illasi, the estate consists of 65 acres of vines planted to traditional indigenous varieties of Corvina, Corvinone, Rodinella, Oseleta, and Croatina.
WINE Valpolicella Superiore DOC ‘Monte Lodolette’ is a wine that presents considerable differences with wines in its category. These differences that are mainly due to specific production methods. In fact, the same quality and procedural criteria that are adopted for Amarone are faithfully followed.
Starting with the 2002 vintage, all the grapes that go into the Valpolicella Superiore undergo a light but beneficial drying process lasting about a month and a half. This phase allows the grapes to achieve an optimal balance between organoleptic concentration and olfactory freshness. The result is a wine of extraordinary aromatic intensity and longevity.
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Vineyard Profile
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The estate vineyards and farm are located where the slopes begin to rise toward the mountains and sit 1,000 feet above sea level.
- Appellation: Valpolicella Superiore DOC
- Location: Veneto
- Cultivation: Sustainable
- Soil: Originate from alluvial plains; composed of 70% gravel, 15% silt, and 15% clay
- Exposure: Southern exposure
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Vintage Report
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The 2008 vintage will be remembered as a season without too many climatic upheavals: on the whole, it was fairly cool, marked by a vegetative recovery that began slightly late, due to below-average temperatures. The year then continued with milder conditions, but with less sunlight than normal, which led to a slight delay in the ripening of the grapes. This was compounded by two hailstorms, fortunately of moderate intensity, which did, however, further delay the normal ripening of the grapes. The autumn, on the other hand, unusually presented itself with balanced weather, no rainfall and favourable temperatures, allowing us to arrive at the harvest with grapes of good quality and allowing us to carry out all the delicate operations of this period without any particular stress.
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Vinification
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In temperature-controlled steel tanks (around 28°C), equipped with a sophisticated computerized system that allows automatic punching-down over a period of around 15 days, including the final two days of maceration.
- Aging: After racking, the Valpolicella rests for a few days in stainless steel tanks which, thanks to their shape, allow an easy decanting, and it is then left maturing in new barriques. For the 2008 vintage, the Valpolicella was aged for 36 months.
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Technical Information
- Varietal Composition: 70% Corvina and Corvina grossa, 20% Rondinella, 5% Croatina, 5% Oseleta
- Alcohol: 14%
- RS: 0.6 g/L
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Tasting Notes
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Valpolicella offers hints of blueberry, blackberry, cherry and chocolate which emerge gradually as the wine breathes. The potent tannins, which give structure to this product, are in perfect symbiosis with the velvety aromas of sweet spices and jam which envelop the palate and excite the senses.
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Images
Reviews
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Valpolicella Superiore DOC – 2008 – 93 points – The Wine Advocate
“… Great care is taken to transform each berry of fruit into this dense, syrupy wine that is redolent of bitter chocolate, dried fruit, blackberry preserves, baking spice and toasted herbs…”
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Valpolicella Superiore DOC – 2008 – 94 points – Vinous
“… fabulous in this vintage. Smoke, tar, incense, licorice and blackberry jam hit the palate in a massive, intense Valpolicella loaded with class and personality. … There is a lot to admire in this drop-dead gorgeous Valpolicella …”
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Valpolicella Superiore DOC – 2008 – 92 points – Wine Spectator
“Reminiscent of a walk through a forest on a crisp fall day, this offers aromatic notes of underbrush, fresh earth and wood smoke, with rich fig cake, dried currant, mocha and baking spice flavors. The burly tannins are firm on the lasting finish.”