Quintarelli Alzero Cabernet Veneto 2011

94 points Eric Guido (Vinous): "The 2011 Alzero Cabernet is a bit backward today, displaying mocha-infused black and red currants offset by hints of sour citrus and animal musk, plus a dusty floral and incense component that is not quite ready to come into the foreground. It’s velvety in feel yet medium in body, showing tart wild berries and exotic inner spices, all framed by a core of vibrant acidity. For all of its primary intensity, the 2011 maintains balance, leaving a glycerol-like coating of tart cherry and blackberry under an air of tobacco and sweet herbs. There’s a lot of immediate pleasure to be found within the 2011, but it should also excel over medium-term cellaring. With grapes dried through appassimento, the Alzero is a blend of 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Cabernet Franc and 20% Merlot. Drink: 2021-2032. (Feb 2021)"

Alzero is a blend of 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Cabernet Franc, and 20% Merlot made in the Amarone style. After careful selection during harvest at the end of August and beginning of September, the grapes (picked before most of the others) sit in wooden boxes or on rush mats. Dried grapes are pressed in mid-December, and after 20 days of maceration, alcoholic fermentation begins with indigenous yeasts, lasting approximately 50 days. The wine is then aged in French barrels for two or three years and racked into Slavonian oak barrels for four more years. During this aging process, additional alcoholic fermentations take place. Vintage after vintage, the Alzero remains one of the most unique wines in Italy.