Amarone della Valpolicella Classico, Le Salette

About the wine

Definitely sitting at the top table at the wine wedding of the year is Amarone, and the Le Salette Amarone della Valpolicella Classico 2016 is a stunning example. Known for their ability to retain acidity no matter how powerful the wine, the Le Salette Amarone is a wine of complexity, power and elegance.

Thanks to the four months’ drying time after the grapes are picked, the nose is full of enticing aromas of dried prune, fig, raisin and stewing black berries. Accompanying the fruit is a host of spicy and earthy aromas like cloves, vanilla, leather, and liquorice. The palate is big and bold, with rich a rich and chewy fruitness that gives way to a woody spice, dried fruit mid-palate and ripe, enveloping tannins. True to the Le Salette style and thanks to winemaker Franco Scamperle’s dab hand in the vineyard, the wine is never overblown and always fresh. At 15%, you’d be forgiven for thinking that this would be a mouthful, but the acidity ensures that the wine is bright and lifted and deliciously moreish. There aren’t many better pairings in the world than Le Salette Amarone Classico and a piece of mature cheese.

About the wine

The Amarone spends 30 months in oak barrels after fermentation, aiding with fruit development, the softening of the tannins and imparting much of that sweet spice that pairs so well with the fruit. Le Salette is a family run winery, based in the heart of the Valpolicella region. Thanks mostly to the dedication of the Scamperle family, today Le Salette enjoys its reputation as one of the best producers of Amarone.