2013 Fratelli Zeni Vigne Alte Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Italy 750 ml

It came to us by happy accident. We’ve been antsy to get back on the wine trail after a months-long travel hiatus. So we started veering into our maps' dusty corners from home, turning over old stones to see if we could find anything hiding in plain sight. When we popped the Fratelli Zeni Vigne Alte, we knew we'd struck gold. Or rather, platinum. 

The 2013 Fratelli Zeni Vigne Alte Amarone della Valpolicella Classico completely ravaged us with its hedonistic power, rippling with dried fig and candied black licorice and tempered by layer after layer of spice. Decanter lauded it as "harmonious" and plunked down 97 points, ultimately minting it the only Amarone in four years to win Platinum at the World Wine Awards. 

The best Amarones offer a world of pleasure for fans of big, spicy Zin and cherry-smacked Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Fratelli Zeni’s 2013 is a Northern Italian classic that makes for a deliciously rich new adventure for red wine aficionados, without breaking the bank. 

The New York Times published an excellent look at Veronese wines a few years ago, calling Amarone one of the “biggest, deepest, richest red wines made anywhere this side of Porto.” Fratelli Zeni indulges that reputation but strikes a balance, too, favoring drinkability over weight, much in the style of the region’s lodestar, Quintarelli, featured in the Times article.

The light tawny hue intrigued us from the get-go. Each new layer revealed more alluring aromas and flavors: baking spices, dark berry confit, cocoa nibs. The lively tannins softened after about an hour's worth of air, leaving us gaping at this Venetian bombshell as it sauntered dryly to the finish line. 

Fratelli Zeni's flagship Vigne Alte is a gem of a wine—a chance for folks who love Lodi Zinfandels and Grenache-heavy Rhône-style reds to branch out and fall in love all over again. A chance at a proper introduction to the wines of Verona, from the Veneto in northeast Italy. 

Reds in this area center on one grape, late-ripening Corvina, rarely grown outside the region. Rondinella and Molinara play supporting roles in traditional blends, like Zeni's, and recent rule changes have made international varieties acceptable in small doses, too. But Corvina (and its unusual twin, Corvinone) provide the backbone for Amarone della Valpolicella’s world class tradition. 

That tradition stems from a unique twist in the winemaking process. After the harvest, Amarone producers air-dry whole clusters of Corvina until the grapes take on a raisin-like quality. This drying takes months. By the time the fruit goes to press, it's lost at least 40% of its liquid, leaving behind a highly concentrated juice for the start of a long, slow fermentation. 

Zeni has been perfecting this meticulous process vintage after vintage for 140 years, although it wasn’t called Amarone until the 1960s. That notable heritage brings more than 100,000 annual visitors to their estate's wine museum. And it'll fill your glass with a history as rich as the wine itself. 

The 2013 Vigne Alte is a handmade wine, loved for its clarity and intensity. Like the best Zinfandel and Grenache, it’s got power and finesse in equal measure. Big but agile. Genuinely expressive of its time and place. Bold flavors like spicy pipe tobacco and ripe summer berries make it an excellent choice with barbecued meats this season. Because of the slow traditional method, this wine retains a high level of acidity for years in the bottle, making it a perfect cellar addition for anyone looking to broaden their horizons. 

Pop one by the grill this season, and lay the rest down for Christmas, 2033.