A blend of 65% Corvina, 15% Corvinone, 10% Rondinella and 10% other mixed grapes, this hot-vintage expression brings forth inky black fruit and bold aromas of dried plum, raisin box, spice, Spanish cedar and mesquite. The grapes dry over a period of anywhere from four to five months in specially ventilated rooms (fruttaia), thus concentrating the flavors, sweetness and appearance of the wine. At the end of the air-drying stage, in the middle of winter, the crush starts and the dried grapes ferment in oak with ambient yeasts. The wine then ages in wood for 36 months. The fruit here comes from a 12-hectare vineyard site between the Val d'Alpone and Val d'Illasi, whose soils comprise alternating layers of shaley clay and limestone. There is no volcanic soil here. The hot growing season makes itself known in the 2011 Amarone della Valpolicella in the form of soft and jammy notes here and there. This Amarone calls for a hearty veal stew. Some 5,000 bottles were made.