Dal Forno/Romano Amarone della Valpolicella 2000

Three Glasses, Gambero Rosso: "The superb wines we tasted this year were the products of two extraordinary vintage years and in fact the Amarone 2000 could well be one of the best Romano has ever made. It is richly extracted and fresh-tasting, brilliant with bewitching hints of mint and luscious spicy sensations, and the fruit could not be more generous. This complex, enthralling wine will yield its treasures slowly and reach its peak in about ten years. In a word, it's outstanding."

97 points Falstaff: "Clear, rich ruby with a slight garnet rim. Intense aroma of dark berries, plum, slightly raisin, balanced. Balanced and supple on the palate, shows a lot of velvety and dense tannin, soft and sweet, builds up for an infinitely long time, amazingly accessible, a hit. (Mar 2006)"

95 points James Suckling: "Beautiful aromas of Indian spices and pure berries. Full and powerful with a chewy tannin structure and muscular tone. This is big and powerful but with loads of fruit underneath. Ripe fruit but racy. Drink now or hold. (4/26/15)"

95 points Ian D'Agata (International Wine Cellar): "Nearly black color. Extremely youthful, unforthcoming nose hints at black cherry, plum, violet, bitter chocolate, quinine and bell pepper. This is almost too concentrated and tannic to describe. Palate- and toothstaining flavors of black plum, coffee liqueur, spices, tobacco, vanilla and herbs abound. Alcoholic, heady wine, with a much denser and more tannic finish than the Amarones of Giuseppe Quintarelli. Not for those who believe that less can be more. This cult producer's 2000s are clearly superior to his 1999s, a lesser year for Amarone. (Mar/Apr 2006)"