The 2009 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Vigneti di Osan is a dark and savory wine with little primary fruit. The wine reverts to evolved aromas of exotic spice, saddle leather and cigar box. Because the brightness and natural juiciness of the fruit is diminished, the wine is lean and compact in terms of mouthfeel. There is plenty of immediate power here (thanks to the 15.5% alcohol), but the wine is still short in the mid-palate. The blend used is 65% Corvina and Corvinone, 20% Rondinella, 10% Molinara and 5% other indigenous grapes.

From a hot vintage, the 2005 Amarone della Valpolicella Vigneti di Osan opens to deep, dark concentration and forceful aromas of dark fruit, smoke and spice. The wine is all about hard ages; there is very little softness to speak of. Aromas include barbecue sauce, cedar wood and blackcurrant. The risk is that the wine has little room for further evolution.

I’ve tasted the 2004 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Vigneti di Osan several times over the past few years and have discovered some variation from bottle to bottle. I remember a vibrant, energetic wine just recently, but this time around I found it to be dimmer and less intense. Forest floor, button mushroom, lead pencil, dark cola and dried fruit are followed by old leather and spice. The wine seems to be experiencing a rapid evolution so drink it sooner not later. Drink 2013-2017. Corteforte is a beautiful castle built in the 1400s with crenulated watchtowers that soar above Pergola-trained vines. It’s a tiny, boutique estate run by Carlo Maria Cerutti who farms a mere three hectares of vine. As they say, “good things come in small packages,” and Corteforte has delivered quite a few gems this year. Importer: The Wine Company, www.thewinecompany.net

Very elegant and refined, this vineyard-designate Amarone presents focused and chiseled aromas of black stone, mature cherry, blackberry and loads of exotic spice. There’s also a distinct hint of dried herb and the wine’s overall complexity is apparent in the mouth where it also shows soft, silky tannins.——M.L.(2/1/2011)—— 92