Professional Reviews
Antonio Galloni
AG
93
"The 2012 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico takes its time opening in the glass, slowly evolving with a rich blend of crushed black cherries complemented by dusty violet florals and exotic spice. This coasts across the palate, silky-smooth yet with cooling minerality and brisk acids that add an energetic feel as a saturation of red fruits and fine tannins collect toward the close. The 2012 finishes lightly structured with a resonance of balsamic spice and bitter hints of cocoa that linger on and onโa fantastic and genuinely harmonious rendition of Bertani's Amarone Classico." -Eric Guido
Robert Parker
RP
93
"This is the first vintage made under the current winemaking team. When I look back to 2012, I remember thickly concentrated, fruit-forward wines that were made after a very hot summer that saw dry winds blow north from Africa over much of Italy. Generally speaking, the wines embraced monolithic elements with lots of black fruit at the base. However, the Bertani 2012 Amarone della Valpolicella offers surprising complexity and depth with neatly compact fruit flavors. It shows a pretty garnet appearance with dried cherry aromas, cedar and light smoke, and you definitely taste minerality and crushed stone." -Monica Larner
Jancis Robinson
JR
17.5
"Medium garnet red colour. There's so much going on here on the nose! Fruit and dried spices. The next time I'm in an Indian restaurant with a good wine list, I want to try an Amarone. Really very complex and exciting. So fresh and clean! Dry finish. So different from the commercial Amarone norm. Really quite exciting."
Decanter
D
94
"I must admit to not being a fan of this vintage in Italy, but Bertani's fresher style matched nicely with the dry vintage. It was a difficult summer, but with a good period of ripening from the end of August onwards. Classic Amarone, showing bay leaf, restrained cherry and chocolate, hints of truffle and cinnamon spice. The attack is firm and slightly aggressive. Full and extracted, with oxidative hints through the notes of curry and chocolate. Thick, slightly rustic tannins on the finish, but its power bodes well for ageing and this will achieve better balance in the long haul." -Aldo Fiordelli
Wine Spectator
WS
93
"An elegant version, fresh and medium- to full-bodied, with crisp definition from fine-grained tannins, a rich, minerally baseline of fresh earth and iron, and a pleasing range of plumped cherry, raspberry paste, Earl Grey tea leaf and sandalwood notes that linger on the finish. Corvina and Rondinella."
Wine Enthusiast
WE
95
"This wine is pure in its fruit, earnestness and joy. It opens with aromas of vibrant red plum, macerated red cherries and raspberries followed by cocoa powder, oolong tea and dried violets. Each sniff of the glass brings a new aroma. The wine is earth-driven on the palate, with tobacco and dried red and black fruits blending well with mixed herbs, savory spices and elegant tannins, all leading to a fresh acidity that makes the wine pop on the finish."