Giuseppe Quintarelli Valpolicella Classico Superiore 2018

Why is this Wine so Yummy?

Venerated as the Maestro del Veneto, the late Giuseppe Quintarelli and his wines hold near-mythical status in the world of wine. After tasting them for myself, I can see why. There’s an interplay between boldness and finesse in these wines that continues to evolve in the glass. And while these are clearly serious, layered wines, they are also pure joy to drink.

His wines are wonderful examples of Giuseppe Quintarelli’s uncompromising approach to winegrowing, which is reflected in the amount of time, effort, patience, and care that go into the making of a bottle of Quintarelli. It truly is so much more than wine.

About Guiseppe Quintarelli

Located in the Valpolicella zone in north-eastern Italy, the estate produces wines revered by oenophiles around the world. It was established in 1924 but it was Giuseppe Quintarelli, in charge from the mid-1950s until his death in 2012, who drove its success.

Guiseppe Quintarelli, affectionately known as ‘Bepi’, established the legendary estate over the course of his amazing sixty-year career. He produced wines that inspired passions far beyond any other producer’s in the Veneto, and like few others in Italy. In an era that emphasized mass production over attention to detail, Quintarelli made wines without compromise, with labour-intensive methods and painstaking attention in the vineyard.

While traditional practice served as the foundations of Quintarelli’s winegrowing practice, it does not follow that Giuseppe is afraid of innovation. As well as the excellent Amarone, he produces an excellent dry white wine called Bianco Secco and a flamboyant, but powerful blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Corvina labelled Primo Fiore and sought after as any cult Cabernet.

Today Giuseppe’s daughter Fiorenza, his son-in-law Giampaolo, and his grandsons Francesco and Lorenzo are all keeping a close watch over the family’s legacy.

In the Vineyard

The winery sits in the hills above the town of Negrar, which is located in the heart of the Valpolicella zone in Veneto. The estate comprises 10 hectares of vineyards with three hectares on the hill called Monte Ca’ Paletta next to the winery. They use the pergola Veronese system for the local varieties – Corvina, Rondinella and Corvinone – and Guyot for the international varieties – Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot). Sustainable viticulture is at the core what they do.

The Quintarelli approach to winemaking means sacrificing quantity for quality; yields are deliberately held extremely low by rigorous pruning and green harvesting.

In the Winery

During harvest, multiple passages through the vineyards produce a myriad of wines, many produced using the appassimento technique whereby the grapes are dried on rush mats before being pressed and made into wine. During the time that this occurs, the grapes will lose up to 50% of their weight, resulting in intensely concentrated flavours and a very high sugar content, which in turn translates into 15% alcohol levels or even higher.

Bianco Secco Ca’ del Merlo IGT:
• Grapes are pressed immediately after harvest
• 12 hour cold soak
• Temperature controlled fermentation
• Regular batonnage

Primofiore IGT:
• The “first flower” is the youngest red wine released by the estate every year
• Cabernet is partially dried, all other grapes are freshly pressed
• After harvest, grapes left in wooden boxes to continue ripening
• After pressing and fermentation, wine is aged for several years in Slavonian oak barrels

Valpolicella Classico Superiore DOC:
• 50% of grapes are pressed immediately after harvest, 50% are dried for 2 months
• After 3-4 days of maceration, primary fermentation starts with indigenous yeasts
• Wine is racked and then sits until February
• Wine is racked onto the lees of the Amarone which starts a second alcoholic fermentation (this process is called ripasso)
• After this fermentation, the wine is racked into large Slavonian oak barrels for seven years

Rosso Ca’ del Merlo IGT:
• A single vineyard bottling
• 50% of grapes are pressed immediately after harvest, 50% are dried for 2 months
• After 3-4 days of maceration, primary fermentation starts with indigenous yeasts
• Wine is racked and then sits until February
• Wine is racked onto the lees of the Amarone which starts a second alcoholic fermentation (this process is called ripasso)
• After this fermentation, the wine is racked into large Slavonian oak barrels for seven years

Rosso del Bepi IGT:
• Amarone is only produced in exceptional years, in “average” years, the wine is declassified and bottled as Rosso del Bepi. In poor years neither Amarone nor Rosso del Bepi is produced.
• Careful selection of grapes during harvest
• After harvest, grapes sit in wooden boxes or on rush mats
• Careful attention is paid to the positioning of the grapes so the appassimento can occur naturally
• Noble rot starts to appear in November and develops mostly in January
• Grapes are pressed at the end of January and after 20 days of maceration, alcoholic fermentation begins with indigenous yeasts
• Fermentation lasts 45 days
• Wine is then racked and ages in Slavonian oak barrels for seven years
• Alcoholic fermentation continues during this aging period creating a dry wine

Amarone della Valpolicella Classico DOC:
• Amarone is only produced in exceptional years
• In truly exceptional years an Amarone Riserva is produced, a personal barrel selection by the family
• Careful selection of grapes during harvest
• After harvest, grapes sit in wooden boxes or on rush mats
• Careful attention is paid to the positioning of the grapes so the appassimento can occur naturally
• Noble rot starts to appear in November and develops mostly in January
• Grapes are pressed at the end of January and after 20 days of maceration, alcoholic fermentation begins with indigenous yeasts
• Fermentation lasts 45 days
• Wine is then racked and ages in Slavonian oak barrels for seven years
• Alcoholic fermentation continues during this aging period creating a dry wine

Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Riserva DOC:
• In truly exceptional years an Amarone Riserva is produced, a personal barrel selection by the family
• Careful selection of grapes during harvest
• After harvest, grapes sit in wooden boxes or on rush mats
• Careful attention is paid to the positioning of the grapes so the appassimento can occur naturally
• Noble rot starts to appear in November and develops mostly in January
• Grapes are pressed at the end of January and after 20 days of maceration, alcoholic fermentation begins with indigenous yeasts
• Fermentation lasts 45 days
• Wine is then racked and ages in Slavonian oak barrels for seven years
• Alcoholic fermentation continues during this aging period creating a dry wine

The 2018 Vintage Giuseppe Quintarelli?

After a short window of uncertainty, the Quintarelli wines have decidedly reached a new level. There was a magic to these wines under the late Giuseppe Quintarelli and his oenologist, Roberto Ferrarini, but over the past 14 years, the family has worked to create a new style centered on purity and elegance. For a period, the wines were very good and technically correct, but they were missing that old magic.

My recent tastings—particularly my preview of the 2015 Amarone Riserva, 2017 Alzero and 2018 Amarone—fully assured me that the current winemaking team is operating at full tilt. To be clear, the “magic” of the past could be described as “pleasurable rusticity.” These wines no longer show that rustic edge, which has been supplanted by a mix of refinement, purity, finesse and depth that I associate with the greatest wines in the world. I will always love older vintages of Quintarelli, and while the modern-day wines may be different, they are equally captivating.

Eric Guido, Vinous

Where in the World are Giuseppe Quintarelli?

Giuseppe Quintarelli’s estate is located in the Negar Valley in Valpolicella zone. This area is part of the greater Veneto region in the north-east of Italy.