Quintarelli: The best Amarone of them all?

It's Wednesday evening and I'm going to taste ten wines from Giuseppe Quintarelli at Wijnhandel Peeters in Rotterdam. It's such a nice way to break up the week.

Luckily, my WSET4 classmate Danielle is also with me, otherwise I would have been the only woman. Peeters' taproom is filled with about 30 men. Welcome to the world of wine.

Who is Giuseppe Quintarelli?

He is (or actually was, as he has since passed away) often described as Italy's best winemaker. Quintarelli wines are among the finest Italian wines. It's considered the benchmark for top wines from Valpolicella, but I have to tell you: I've never tasted anything like this. Is it just me, or is Quintarelli's quality simply unparalleled? The answer undoubtedly lies somewhere in the middle. His Valpolicella is better than many Amarones. Not to mention the latter. I've never tasted such an elegant Amarone in my life.

That requires endless patience and unbridled dedication. We never compromise on quality. “We want to make wine without a compromise”, they say themselves.

Sjaak van de Graaf, the importer for Quintarelli, Neerlands Wijnhuis, tells us they're meticulous and frugal. Tasting is allowed, but any leftovers are simply returned to the barrel. No spittoons are placed on the table. Which makes sense, given their small production.

They own a total of twelve hectares of vineyards and produce only 60,000 bottles annually. Considering the world's demand for these bottles, that's remarkably small. The yield per hectare is kept low, the grapes are sorted multiple times, and the wine (Valpolicella) is aged for at least six years in large vats after fermentation. The Amarone is aged for seven years, and the Riserva for ten. For your information, Amarone DOCG "only" requires aging for at least two years.

Tasting notes

Below you will find the tasting notes from the Quintarelli tasting at Wijnhandel Peeters.

Bianco Secco 2017
A blend of Chardonnay, Garganega, Sauvignon Blanc and Trebbiano.
It's a typical Italian white wine with familiar bitter notes: almonds, yellow apple, pear, grapefruit, and good acidity.

Bianco Secco 2016
The same recipe, but a year older. Aged with pear, pineapple, and distinct notes of fennel and nuts (walnuts and almonds). Beautiful.

Primofiore 2015
A blend of Corvina, Corvinone, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc. Plums, strawberries, cherries, chocolate, tobacco, and cinnamon. After a while, the floral notes also come to the forefront. It's a soft wine with plenty of ripe fruit. Well-present acidity and equally present (but ripe) tannins.

Valpolicella Classico Superiore 2011
"No Lake Garda lemonade." I've never tasted such beautiful Valpolicella. For this wine, some of the grapes are dried. You might think it's a ripasso, but they don't use that term. Nor do they use the method. For a ripasso, the skins previously used to make Amarone are reused. Quintarelli doesn't use rebound grapes, but fresh, dried grapes.

What class, so refined. Cherries, toast, subtle aromas of chocolate, cardamom, Earl Grey tea, rose petals, sun-dried tomatoes. A good backbone of acidity and ripe tannins.

Various grape varieties are used, sometimes white as well. The precise recipe is unknown, but Corvina/Corvinone and Rondinella predominate.

Ca' del Merlo 2009
Single vineyard, from Ca' del Merlo. More concentrated than Valpolicella, with notes of sour cherries, cherry bonbons, and after-eight chocolate. Cardamom on the palate. Again, medium+ acidity and similar (but ripe) tannins.

Red of Bepi 2008
Literally translated: the red wine of Bepi—Giuseppe's nickname. It's a downgraded Amarone. Amarone is only made in the very best years. If the year doesn't meet their standards, they make a Rosso di Bepi. An Amarone that isn't called an Amarone. Still €149.50.

Amarone Classico 2009
An incredible wine, I'm starting to wax lyrical. One sip and all the Amarones are swept away. It's like your palate is being reset. Not thick at all, but very elegant. Still, at 16.5% alcohol, we can't call it light. Complex, though. Plums, cherries, tobacco, and chocolate make their appearance. Cardamom and a touch of mint reappear on the palate. The tannins are velvety smooth. After five minutes, I can still taste the wine.

Alzero 2007
This was the idea of ​​an American client, a big fan of Bordeaux wines. Would Giuseppe be interested in making an Amarone-style Bordeaux? He was more than happy to oblige. A Super Tuscan from Valpolicella. Only 3,000 bottles are produced annually. Coffee, tomato, cedar, sour cherries, figs, and prunes.

Reciotto Classico 2007
Admittedly, I'm perhaps the only one in the world who's not usually a fan of reciotto. I often find it too much. Not this one. It has enough acidity to balance the sugars. Dried cherries, figs, and chocolate. Absolutely beautiful.

Amabile del Cerè 2003
OMG. Giuseppe's Yquem, you know. I'm just saying. They're not far apart. Crushed apple, orange marmalade, floral honey, caramelized pecans, dates, yellow raisins, walnuts, hazelnuts, and quite clearly: cinnamon. Yquem is perhaps a tad fuller and has more aromas of tutti frutti (apricots, mainly). Amabile owes its name to a hidden barrel that bore that name during World War II. The barrel was later recovered, and its contents had matured beautifully.

Also taste

Would you also like to attend a tasting at Wijnhandel Peeters? the website Keep an eye out for new tastings. We also organize our own tastings, which you can find here .