Quintarelli Recioto della Valpolicella Classico 2007

98 points Monica Larner (Wine Advocate): "This wine is dedicated to Roberto Ferrarini, the longtime consulting enologist who worked with Giuseppe Quintarelli and the Quintarelli family until his death in 2014. The beautiful 2007 Recioto della Valpolicella Classico A Roberto is a stunning and magical creation. The last vintage this estate made a Recioto was in 2004, and at the time of this tasting, there was no future vintage earmarked to follow this bottling. Those of you lucky enough to taste this bottle will be rewarded with carefully crafted aromas of plum and raisin with sweet baking spice, moist earth, campfire ash, fresh espresso and a touch of bitter chocolate. This wine was bottled in 2017 and therefore saw ten years of aging in a normal-sized barrique. The wine shows utter silkiness in terms of texture and is surprising light on its feet despite its 15.5% alcohol. This is a precious collectors' bottle. Drink: 2020-2050. (Aug 2019)"

96 points Falstaff: "Shiny, rich ruby with a fine garnet rim. Multi-layered nose of pickled cherries, raspberry jelly, then gingerbread and Linzer Torte. On the palate round and lush, lots of ripe plum and dark raspberry, nice play between sweetness and tannin, opens grippy, very balanced on the finish, long finish, despite the sweetness great flow. (Nov 2020)"

Importer notes: "Recioto made the Valpolicella region famous well before Amarone. The most perfect grapes are dried, creating this intensely flavored, long-lasting elixir that is one of the world’s finest 'closers.' This vintage-of-the-decade bottling is named in honor of Roberto Ferrarini, Giuseppe Quintarelli’s longtime enologist, naturally a passionate devotee of their Recioto. One for the ages!"