Amarone della Valpolicella Classico DOCG

Antonio Galloni's Vinous, Dec/2023

2019 -

"The 2019 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico entices with a darkly alluring bouquet of crushed stones and dusty violet florals, accentuating notes of blackberries and hints of candied orange. This is sleek and racy in style, with lifted textures and polished red and blue fruits that flow across a stream of lively acidity. Remaining remarkably fresh through the finish, it tapers off with a confectionary air, leaving a resonance of violet pastille and crunchy tannins to linger on."

James Suckling, Apr/2023

2019 -

"The quest is for fresher and drier here, as with many contemporary producers. Kirsch, leather, pine and a waft of dried mushroom to tatami straw. This has a mid-weighted feel and is refreshingly savory, yet without, perhaps, the density, sap and prerequisite freshness of top examples. Some oseleta here, serving as a bulwark against the encroaching heat. I'd like to see this in a few more years when my score may come up a notch. Drink or hold."

James Suckling, Aug/2022

2018 -

"Savory berries and dried blackberries on the nose, together with oranges, dark chocolate and dry earth. Full-bodied and fine-grained palate, with a tight structure and fantastic balance, which indicates good aging potential. Long and savory, yet reserved. A textbook Amarone with freshness, savoriness and concentration. Drinkable now, but better to give it some time. Try in 2024 or later."

Antonio Galloni's Vinous, Mar/2023

2018 -

"More like a spiced herbal tea than wine, the 2018 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico wafts up with exotic spices, sweet herbs, cedar shavings and dried black cherries. It washes across the palate with silky textures, taking on a more tactile feel as masses of intense wild berry fruits saturate. Notes of mocha and rum-soak black currant are left lingering as the 2018 finishes lightly structured and buzzing with residual tension. This young Amarone is geared up for a long and steady evolution. Nicely done. "

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, Oct/2023

2018 -

"The Tommasi 2018 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico shows dark fruit, dried blackberry and a spicy note of clove or exotic cumin. This is a full-bodied red made with air-dried fruit that shows good power (with 15% alcohol) and intensity without going overboard. This is a nice surprise."

Gismondi on Wine, Mar/2023

2018 -

"A warming Europe is aiding the maturation of Amarone grapes, in this case, a 50/30/15/5 mix of corvina, corvinone, rondinella, and oseleta grown in the La Groletta and Conca d’Oro crus in the hilly Valpolicella Classico zone. Expect a classic nose of super ripe cherries, raisins, figs and balsamic. The palate is warm with more intense sweet black fruit with coffee, pepper, earthy tobacco leaf, and a balsamic prune aftertaste. The finish is long, persistent, and warm, calling for mature cheese, lamb, or big rich game dishes. The grapes are manually harvested and selected, followed by drying for about three months in a well-ventilated loft. Fermentation took place in stainless steel for 25 days at 25°-30°C before 3 years maturation in 35 and 65 hl Slavonian oak casks."

James Suckling, Aug/2021

2017 -

"Needs air to bring out the intense, bright red berries with some dates and spicy, meaty notes. Full-bodied with a tight but forward-driven palate, spurred along by clean acidity and firm, fine tannins. It’s all there, but needs time to mellow out. Try from 2023."

Antonio Galloni's Vinous, Jan/2022

2017 -

"The 2017 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico opens with a minty freshness, as bright red berries and dusty dried flowers form in the glass. This is silky and saline in character, with depths of dark red fruits and spices all energized by saline-infused acidity, making for a highly drinkable expression as it develops inner rose tones toward the close. It's structured and staining with a bitter twang of dark fruits and savory herbs. While you can still drink this today, the best is yet to come. A strapping and deep Amarone."

Wine Spectator, Oct/2021

2017 -

"A lively, medium- to full-bodied red, round and well-balanced, offering an enticing range of steeped cherry and fig cake flavors with accents of dried thyme, pomegranate and espresso. Creamy, lightly spiced finish. Corvina, Rondinella, Corvinone and Oseleta. Drink now through 2026."

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, Dec/2021

2017 -

"From a very hot and dry vintage, the Tommasi 2017 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico is supple and round with plenty of soft fruit at its core. The vintage is less complex, with less depth, but it does deliver sweet tones of cherry, ripe plum and crème de cassis. Light shadings of spice and tobacco help to flesh it out. Tommasi's classic Amarone is a blend of 50% Corvina, 30% Corvinone, 15% Rondinella and 5% Oseleta. The grapes are sourced from the Le Groletta and Conca d'Oro vineyards, which have medium-rich limestone soils and lots of fossils."

James Suckling, Dec/2020

2016 -

"A rich, layered Amarone with lots of fruit. Bright, sliced dried citrus to the ripe and juicy fruit. It's full-bodied and compact with a beautiful finish and transparency. Drink or hold."

Antonio Galloni's Vinous, Feb/2021

2016 -

"The 2016 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico is quite reserved and understated, but in a way that keeps you at the edge of the glass. Roses, blackberries, savory herbs and a hint of spiced citrus make for an alluring bouquet. It’s velvety in texture, ushering in a creamy wave of ripe red and black fruits, laced with salty minerals, as dark inner florals amass toward the close. There’s a lot of power here that is currently restrained, as this finishes youthfully structured and tense, with a saturating layer of dried black cherries to tempt the imagination with what's to come with a few years of cellaring. Also of note is the 2016's 15% abv, making this a great option both on and away from the dinner table."

Meiningers ProWein Sample 2020

2016 -

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, Dec/2021

2016 -

"The Tommasi 2016 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico (with 300,000 bottles made) reveals a dark and savory side that we did not see in the hotter and sweeter 2017 vintage. This wine is angular and strong with dried fruit, black cherry, leather, toasted spice and tarry smoke. The house blend is 50% Corvina, 30% Corvinone, 15% Rondinella and 5% Oseleta, and the wine ages in Slavonian oak casks for three years. What I notice in the wines from Tommasi, even the top-end wines like this, is that the mouthfeel tends to be shorter and leaner than I'd like to see, especially considering this home-run vintage."

Wine and Spirits, Feb/2021

2016 -

"Slatey undertones combine with moderate alcohol and lively acidity to create an elegant, understated wine that will appeal to people who think they don’t like Amarone. The flavors include both fresh and dried cherries, laced with subtle spice and framed by polished tannins."

Wine Spectator, Oct/2021

2016 -

"A compact Amarone with an overtone of cured tobacco, defined by crisp tannins tightly meshed to flavors of steeped cherry, dried raspberry and minerally hints of smoke and loamy earth. Corvina, Corvinone, Oseleta and Rondinella. Drink now through 2026."

Decanter, May/2020

2016 -

"Giancarlo Tommasi waits until January to crush the drying grapes in order to maximise aroma and glycerol development, which he attributes to cooler conditions. As of the 2016 vintage, he has also decreased the percentage of Rondinella in favour of Corvinone. Not yet released, the 2016 is still shy in its expression but with coaxing, macerated strawberry, mint and cocoa emerge. Framed by stern tannins, Tommasi's Amarone is quite linear and austere through the mid-palate. A couple of years in bottle may help elicit its charms."

Wine Enthusiast, Mar/2021

2016 -

"This has a shy nose that eventually reveals whiffs of stewed prune, leather and tilled earth. The solid palate offers baked plum, candied raisin and a dollop of vanilla alongside polished, rather relaxed tannins before a bitter almond finish. Drink through 2026."

Natalie MacLean, Nov/2019

2015 -

"Made in the apassimento style of drying the grapes on mats before fermentation to concentrate flavour and body, this Amarone is a classic with crushed violets, cherry liqueur and smoky on the nose. Full-bodied with concentrate flavours of juicy blackberries, spiced plum, underbrush, mocha and baking spice flavours on the palate. Finishes long and luxurious. Pair with mature cheeses or dark chocolate."

James Suckling, Nov/2019

2015 -

"Extremely attractive aromas of dried fruit, prunes and sweet almonds follow through to a medium to full body, soft, juicy fruit and a flavorful finish. Shows depth and beauty on the finish. Balanced and lovely now. Drink now."

Wine & Spirits, Feb/2020

2015 -

"This Amarone, aged for three years in large Slavonian casks, weaves together flavors of red and black berries, roasted mushroom and tobacco in a velvety texture. Notes of peppery spice bring it to a balanced, dry finish."

Wine Align, Nov/2019

2015 -

"Amarone is always a wine of the vintage and with 2015 in pocket Tommasi extends the arm of generosity though not without great grip and structure. A classic in all its modernity this is exactly what the Amarone drinker wants, demands and pays for. It’s bang on. I’d like to and prefer to drink this in 12 years. Drink 2021-2029. Tasted October 2019."

Natalie MacLean, Nov/2017

2013 -

"Juicy with racy acidity for tangy meat sauces. Made using the traditional apassimento method of drying the grapes on mats before fermentation to concentrate flavour and body. Classic Amarone with some nuances of wild violets and black cherry liqueur on the finish. Smoky and dark yet elegant in a muscular way. This brooding Italian red wine offers black fruit aromas and smoke on the nose. Underneath and on the palate there's a sensual layer of black fleshy ripe fruit and dark spices. Best consumed with hearty meat dishes and robust conversation."

James Suckling, Oct/2017

2013 -

Wine Spectator, Nov/2017

2013 -

Decanter Magazine, Apr/2018

2013 -

"Summer was warm - rather than hot - with cool nights, particularly in September. While some producers were affected by hail and late-season rain, Giancarlo reports bringing in healthy grapes with good aromatic intensity and balanced phenolic and sugar ripeness. Certainly the wine is clean and inviting, with aromas of exotic spice, cocoa, plum and blackberry. Dark chocolate notes currently dominate the round, voluptuous palate, and the finish is warming, with some sweetness which should integrate as the savoury notes develop with time. Give it another year or so to knit together."

Antonio Galloni's Vinous, May/2017

2013 -

"Bright dark red with a pale amber tinge at the rim. Ripe aromas and flavors of red cherry and aromatic spices. Offers a decadent, luscious mouthfeel with soft tannins, but also a touch of alcohol-derived warmth. The finish is long and savory. Though not the most complex Amarone Tommasi has ever made, it has a lovely easy to drink quality for such a big wine and is very hard to resist in its candied, opulent personality."

Wine Enthusiast, Dec/2015

2012 -

"Structured and savory, this opens with aromas of prune, baked plum and cake spice. The full-bodied palate doles out ripe black cherry, raisin, white pepper and mocha accompanied by round, chewy tannins. It closes on a licorice note."

James Suckling, Oct/2015

2012 -

"A red with dried fruits such as raisins and sultanas. Full-bodied, round and fruity. Soft, velvety tannins and a flavourful finish. Very classic style of Amarone. Drink now."

Natalie MacLean, Aug/2016

2012 -

"Classic Amarone with some nuances of wild violets and black cherry liqueur on the finish. Smoky and dark yet elegant in a muscular way. This brooding Italian red wine offers black fruit aromas and smoke on the nose. Underneath and on the palate there's a sensual layer of black fleshy ripe fruit and dark spices. Best consumed with hearty meat dishes and robust conversation. Amarone Della Valpolicella Classico food pairings: borscht, beef, osso buco. Best Beef Wine"