Tommaso Bussola Bussola Amarone della Valpolicella Classico 2019 750ml

An evolved wine full of earth, dried prunes, bay leaves and coffee grounds on the nose. Smooth and round on the palate, with a full body, a touch of sweetness, and ripe, velvety tannins balanced by long, refreshing acidity and a very savory overall profile. Drink or hold.

A rich and harmonious red, with a creamy nappe to the texture, which drapes the supple tannins and carries the generous profile of black cherry reduction, fig cake, loamy earth, chocolate liqueur and cigar box, plus herb and spice aromatics. This puts a modern lens of fine balance and focus on Amarone’s traditional style of full body and ripe, concentrated flavors. Corvina, Corvinone and Rondinella. Drink now through 2038. 2,000 cases made. (Alison Napjus)

Considerable tonneaux influence here, to very good effect. There is no constraint on the fruit as it spreads broadly across the palate, the oak glossing it with cedar and cinnamon accents. Darker fruit allusions, mint, wild fennel and camphor brood beyond. A contemporary, full-weighted Amarone, with a burr of heat across a tenacious finish. Drink or hold. (Ned Goodwin MW)

The 2018 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico is darkly alluring, with a sweetly scented bouquet that blends medicinal cherries with sage, dried roses and baking chocolate. This is surprisingly juicy and lifted in feel, with zesty acidity motivating depths of ripe wild berry fruits as sweet spices collect toward the close. It finishes gently tannic, with a cranberry crunch that adds a lovely punctuation. (Eric Guido)