Reviewing the New Vintages of Amarone della Valpolicella from the Famiglie Storiche

“Speri.

Dating back to 1874, Speri is one of the Valpolicella’s best-known names. And there are numerous things worth knowing about Speri, that in many respects is an outlier in the large Valpolicella production zone. For one, the estate farms 60 hectares that are all only in the Valpolicella Classica. Furthermore, they make only one Amarone and it’s a single-vineyard wine, which is a rarity. In fact, at Speri they make only one wine per denomination, which is also quite rare. And is if all that wasn’t already enough, Speri is one of the few estates that still uses a lot of Rondinella (that once used to be more popular than it is today) because they like the savouriness and salinity it brings to the finished wines. Speri has been organic-certified since 2015. Every wine made at Speri will strike you for its illusion of sweetness, not because of residual sugar, but because of sheer ripeness of the fruit.

Speri 2019 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Sant’Urbano 96

Fully saturated red-ruby. High-pitched aromas of raspberry, blackberry, spices, violet and grilled nuts. Sweet and silky but also juicy and lively, thanks to harmonious acidity keeping the nicely concentrated flavours vibrant. This boasts excellent balance; not at all made in a jammy style, this finishes very clean, steely, and classically dry (about 3 g/L r.s.), with a very typical underlying note of graphite. A blend of 70 % Corvina and Corvinone, 25% Rondinella and 5% Molinara all grown at roughly 400 meters asl but the vines are specifically located where the hill changes direction, such that the grapes bask in a fresher, windier, and more sunlit area. There the grapes ripen because of the light and not of the heat, which is important because while the grapes need to be concentrated, they also need to have enough acidity. The wine ages three and a half to four years in oak and then one year in bottle.  Drinking window: 2027-2038.

Speri 2012 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Vigneto Sant’Urbano 94

Deep red with some garnet rim. This boasts a sweet and savoury mouthfeel on entry, not to mention a very smooth texture, then turns steely and austere in the middle and on the fresh and long finish. In a warm vintage such as 2012, the Sant’Urbano vineyard showcases just how much freshness it can endow its wines with. A mix of 70 % Corvina and Corvinone, 25% Rondinella and 5% Molinara. Drinking window: 2024-2030.

Speri 2021 Recioto della Valpolicella La Roggia 96

Fully opaque ruby. Very deep spicy rich red and black fruit aromas and flavours are sexed up by a hit of vanilla (but there’s not new oak used here). Very pure, fresh, juicy and nicely sweet, I love this beautiful Recioto’s balance (6 g/L total acidity and 120 g/L r.s). Building hints of dark chocolate add interest and complexity on the close. This is a 70 % Corvina and Corvinone, 25% Rondinella and 5% Molinara blend, but there’s also a few grapes of other, some very rare and others less rare native grapes, that grow in the vineyard’s oldest sections (varieties such as Bigolona and Oseleta). Spent two years in used barriques (this is the only Speri wine where barriques are used). Drinking window: 2024-2036.”

Ian d’Agata May 17th, 2024

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