Thoughts on wine

Thoughts on: A Tasting of Dal Forno

Last week I attended a very interesting tasting of Dal Forno wines put on by Marco the lovely export manager for the Valpolicella based winery, and Caskadia, their importer in Barcelona. Caskadia are a group of young guys bringing in some very exciting wine into the city, at all different price points and with some really exciting producers on show. However, as much fun as it is to taste really well made young, affordable wines, when someone asks you to attend a Dal Forno tasting, it’s something a bit special.

For anyone who doesn’t know who Dal Forno are, they’re one of the two most famous producers in Valpolicella, north-eastern Italy, focusing predominantly on Amarone styles of wine. The other is of course Quintarelli. Both are known throughout the world of fine wine, and both are priced at a level that makes them inaccessible for the majority of wine drinkers, yet stylistically, they’re at opposite ends of the spectrum. Quintarelli are known for their elegance and restraint, whereas Dal Forno are rightly famous for the intensity, power and density of their wines. I’d never had a chance to taste even one before, so a guided tasting of 4 of their ones, two Valpolicella Superiore’s and 2 Amarone’s was quite the treat.

Tasting Dal Forno wines at Caskadia Barcelona

The story of Dal Forno is remarkable. Like so many success stories in wine, it began with a grower deciding to try and bottle his own wine instead of selling the grapes to large, local co-operatives. However, not all growers have the ambition and sheer bloody-mindedness of Roman Dal Forno. Encouraged by time spent with Giuseppe Quintarelli, his first wines hit the market in 1987. This isn’t an unfamiliar story in Valpolicella and indeed, many producers have been inspired or even tutored by Quintarelli, but the growth and improvement in Dal Forno’s wines couldn’t have been predicted by anyone. We’re talking about a man with no wine-making training and with no family history of producing wine over generations, just a man with a plan and the determination to see it through. He now works with his sons and the family members all hold key positions at the estate, including wine-making.

Between 2001 and 2008, a beautiful new winery was constructed and, when we talk about no expenses spared technology, this must be a global benchmark. Marco showed us slides detailing equipment I’d never seen before. Inch-thick stainless steel tanks to avoid oxidation, unique fan-powered drying systems, vacuum pressured tanks and a huge, modern warehouse for their grape drying process. The cost must have been absolutely staggering, and yet it isn’t a show of bravado, but a carefully designed winery for their intended style. Staggering levels of fruit concentration, protected from oxidation is the goal, with soft, refined tannins that are built to last. Their Amarone wines are aged for at least 6 years before commercial release so, even with a small production of 50,000 bottles a year, you need space for hundreds of thousands of bottles worth of wine at any one time, not to mention drying space for 26 hectares of grapes every single year.

Whilst this may divert from the modern fashion to look towards the past at more rustic, minimal intervention styles of wine-making, it’s hugely impressive. As Amarone is made from dried grapes, the focus on avoiding further oxidation is understandable; there’s only so much volatile acidity that one can bear in a finished wine after all! 100% new French oak is de rigeur in the cellar, presumably to match the enormous concentration of fruit from their low yielding vines (12-13000 planted per hectare!) and the wines only undergo a light filtration before bottling. The resulting style is monumentally powerful and every single wine they make is, in effect, an Amarone. Their Valpolicella Superiore is made from grapes that have been dried for 45 days, enough to qualify it as an Amarone should they so choose, whilst their Amarone wines are made from grapes that are dried for 90 days.

If you think I’ve used the words ‘enormous’ , powerful’ and ‘huge’ too many times, you’re right, but you’ll understand if you’ve tried the wines. I can safely say that I’ve never tasted a wine with such concentration before, and I live in Spain, where ripe fruit and high alcohol levels walk hand in hand. The Valpolicella Superiore is a powerful Amarone, the Amarone is simply staggering in its potency. That’s not to say that the wines are unbalanced in anyway, just that the resulting style is certainly not going to be for everyone. Below are the 4 summarised tasting notes for the wines tasted:

A glass of Dal Forno Valpolicella Superiore 2008

Dal Forno Valpolicella Superiore 2008
70% Covina and Corvinone, 20% Rondinella, 5% Oseleta and 5% Croatina from their own estates, dried for 45 days and aged for 36 months in new French oak. 14% ABV

This must be a terribly confusing wine for someone expecting a typical Valpolicella Superiore! Dried cherries, plums and damsons mingle with the soft leather, tobacco and warm earth so typical of the style. Very slightly volatile but well contained. By far the most restrained of the 4 wines with still some grip left on the tannins and plenty of acidic lift. At 10 years old, this is the most accessible of the flight and yet the fruit intensity is quite something. You’d want a big piece of meat to go with this! 94Pts

Dal Forno Valpolicella Superiore 2011
70% Covina and Corvinone, 20% Rondinella, 5% Oseleta and 5% Croatina from their own estates, dried for 45 days and aged for 36 months in new French oak. 15% ABV

This is much bigger and younger than the 2008, considerably more so than the 3 year gap would suggest. Powerful and dark, with riper fruits, licorice and more noticeable new oak and sweet spices; certainly no oxidation here! So young and dense, this will need another decade to be approachable with very firm tannins, vibrant acidity and noticeably more body and alcohol than the 2008. 92pts

A glass of Dal Forno's enormously concentrated 2008 Amarone

Dal Forno Amarone della Valpolicella 2008
Covina, Corvinone, Rondinella, Oseleta and Croatina in unspecified but decreased amounts from their own estates, dried for 90 days and aged for 72 months in new French oak. 16.5% ABV

This is a staggeringly powerful wine. So young and dense, with a nose of fruit-cake, leather, tobacco and a touch of Port on the nose, although the components are just starting to come together. Some slight sweetness on the palate and full-on everything; huge, slightly drying tannins, weight and flavour intensity. Remarkably, on the palate the alcohol isn’t anywhere as noticeable as it should be and the finish is long and fruity. Will the tannins be too dry for the long haul? Hard to know, but I should think that you could starting drinking this within a few years. 94Pts

Dal Forno Amarone della Valpolicella 2011
Covina, Corvinone, Rondinella, Oseleta and Croatina in unspecified but decreased amounts from their own estates, dried for 90 days and aged for 72 months in new French oak. 17% ABV

A glass ago, I thought I’d tasted the most powerful wine I was likely to try for some time. I spoke too soon. This is so embryonic I’m not really sure how to approach it; it’s a little like tasting young, vintage Port. The alcoholic heat is a little more apparent here, as is the oak density, yet the fruit concentration over-rides everything and if I had a bottle of this, I wouldn’t even think about opening it for another 10 years. Too much of everything for me, and a touch syrupy on the finish. 92pts

One of the most interesting flights of wine I’ve tasted in quite some time, and a real honour to have the opportunity to taste these iconic wines. Interestingly, I far preferred the Valpolicella Superiore from a stylistic point of view as, whilst I can accept the quality of the Amarone’s, they were just too much for me. I don’t know when I’d ever drink one except as a substitute for Port after a meal, and the prices are so prohibitive on that front that I wouldn’t be able to justify it. The Valpolicella Superiore’s, on the other hand, are quite wonderful wines and priced in line with other producers of Amarone, making them a solid option for anyone who likes their Amarone on the bolder side. I was surprised to learn that there’s an almost equal split in sales between the USA, Europe and Asia, as I would have these wines pegged for the American market from a stylistic point of view.

It was a real pleasure to attend this tasting and my thanks to the gentlemen at Caskadia for the invitation. If you’re a restaurant, wine bar or private collector in Spain, you’d do well to drop them an email and have a chat, as the list of their wines ranges from superstars like Dal Forno, all the way to delicious, young Spanish Mencia with a lot of otherwise unrepresented producers buried within. I’m very glad to have them in Barcelona!

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