The 2003 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Campolongo di Torbe is a wine that I have had the fortune to taste many times over the past few years. Having examined its various drinking stages, it has definitely never tasted better than it does now. Budding tertiary and oxidative aromas of dried spice and dark caramel open to prune, black current, campfire smoke, licorice, cola, dried ginger, grilled herbs and perfumed mesquite wood. It’s a lovely and articulate wine that will speak to those who take the time to savor it. The 2003 vintage was infamously hot across Europe, but Amarone and wines made according to appassimento principles fare better in hot years because the drying process is easier. Drink 2013-2023. Winemaking excellence should be consistent, but it must never be static. This is a lesson I learned at a recent tasting spanning five decades of Masi’s wines including the 1967, 1973, 1979, 1983, 1988, 1990, 1995, 1997, 2003 and 2007 Amarones Classico, Riserva, Vaio, Campolongo and Mazzano. Sandro Boscaini and his team of technicians have been tinkering with their signature style for many decades. Like a New York cab swerving between traffic lanes, they’ve veered into more oak, less oak, more extraction and less extraction. Despite the manic maneuvering, they never venture far from the centerline. Importer: Kobrand Corporation, www.kobrandwineandspirits.com

A good concentration of rich raisin, date and mineral, combining with tobacco and vanilla notes, follows through to a firm, full-bodied palate, with persistent fruit and mineral. Good length. Best after 2011. 1,200 cases made, 350 cases imported.??–JC??Region: Italy / Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Select to Add

Because Masi releases its Campolongo di Torbe cru expression of Amarone many years later than the competition, the wine has had time to develop its tertiary aromas of sweet spice, polished stone, licorice, rum cake and candied fruit. Overall, it’s hugely intense and persistent on the finish. ——M.L.(2/1/2011)—— 92