Monte dall’Ora MONTE DALL’ORA STROPA Amarone della Valpolicella 2015

Description

The Monte dall’Ora Stropa Amarone della Valpolicella recalls dried grapes, with hints of cherry, plum and undergrowth, then closing with integrating and refined aromas of pepper, spices and balsamic hints. In the mouth it is enveloping, dense and complex, with a very long persistence.

Stropa is a passage from the native weeping willow, historically used in Valpolicella viticulture to tie vines to pergolas; it is easily available and strong enough to withstand the winter winds that come down from the mountains of South Tyrol. Monte Dall’Ora not only perpetuated that practice, but named its Amarone for it and actually tied a string around the neck of each red wax-capped bottle. This literal link to tradition perfectly symbolizes their passion for the history and terroir of Valpolicella.

The bunches for Monte dell’Ora Stropa are arranged in a single layer in small slatted wooden boxes that are stacked in the open-sided fruit shed next to the house/cellar. Drying proceeds slowly and naturally with zero technology; the environment is well ventilated and quite cool, preventing any fermentation and allowing a gradual evaporation and concentration of flavors. After 3-4 months, the dried grapes are destemmed, gently pressed (leaving some whole grapes for a touch of carbonic maceration) and dropped by gravity into one or two small open oak vats. The fermentation is completely spontaneous with indigenous yeasts and without sulphur, taking 40-50 days with daily beatings to reach an almost total dryness (1-2 grams RS max typically). The minimum aging is in 25 hectoliter barrels for 3 years, then in the bottle for another 2.5 years. Production was 4500 bottles in 2010.

Located in the center of Valpolicella on one of the five ridges that descend into the valley (which resemble the fingers of a hand), Monte Dall’Ora is the creation of Carlo Venturini and his wife Alessandra Zantedeschi. Both come from winemaking families, but they decided to start over with their own estate in 1995. At the time, the purchased terraces were in terrible condition and everything had to be rebuilt.