Quintarelli Recioto della Valpolicella 2015, half bottle
Non-Member Price:
₩307,110 KRWMember Price: ₩291,755
(SAVE 5%)
96 points - Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, August 2019
An Italian icon, the Quintarelli Giuseppe 2015 Recioto della Valpolicella Classico represents the estate's special blend of air-dried grapes (with Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella, Cabernet, Nebbiolo, Croatina and Sangiovese). Production of this wine is rare and sporadic. The last time we saw it was in 2011. In terms of the 2015 vintage, it takes a little while before you recognize its sweetness (this bottle has 70 grams per liter of residual sugar, which is much lower compared to the 2011). First impressions resolve around savory tones of Indian teak, resin and waxed furniture. It takes a little while to unfold, but the wine eventually appears very generous, soft and velvety with candied plum, prune and sweet tea. The alcohol content is 15%, and production is between 5,000 and 6,000 bottles, with both 750-milliliter and 375-milliliter formats made (the price listed here is for the small bottle).
I always try to schedule my tasting trips to Valpolicella during appassimento, or when harvested fruit is left to air-dry in specially ventilated hangars. The fruit loses much of its water mass during the process, thus increasing flavors, concentration and alcohol. Of the many estates I regularly visit, Giuseppe Quintarelli is among my favorites because of the traditional approach taken. There is one hangar dedicated to grapes drying in plastic crates, and on the other side of the winery, there is a second hangar with grapes carefully laid out on bamboo racks. You also see the celebrated trecce, or "braids," of grapes hung from a ceiling rafter. Each braid weighs 30 kilograms. It is such a beautiful site.
While visiting the Giuseppe Quintarelli winery with its cramped spaces and dark corners, I tasted with grandsons Lorenzo and Francesco in the very same tasting room I first visited 20 years ago with the master himself.
Carved oak botte stand outside the tasting room. One shows an enormous peacock, a symbol of purity, and around it are symbols of the family and their vineyards. The Giuseppe Quintarelli estate counts 11 hectares of vines on limestone and basalt soils. Annual production is 60,000 bottles. Only estate fruit is used, although extra fruit is purchased in some years if there is an emergency such as significant hail.
- Monica Larner
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From cellar-to-cellar, or cellar to shelf, we maintain the highest standards, thanks to close relationships with the finest producers of wine across the globe, ensuring authenticity.
We maintain strict, direct, temperature- controlled delivery from the cellar to the customer, guaranteeing the integrity of each vintage’s character and flavor profile.
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