KERMIT LYNCH® Giuseppe Quintarelli Recioto della Valpolicella Classico DOC 2007 (Veneto, Italy) – [WA 98] [VM 95] – 6045875077279

About the Winery:
The late, great Maestro del Veneto, Giuseppe Quintarelli, fondly known as “Bepi” to those closest to him, was a perfectionist in every way. From the beautiful handwritten labels, to the best possible quality cork, to the exquisite wine in the bottles, the Quintarelli name is a stamp of authenticity and the ultimate indication of an artisanal, handmade, uncompromising wine of the highest quality. Over the course of an amazing sixty-year career, he succeeded in establishing his legendary estate. Today, the winery continues under the guidance of grandsons Francesco and Lorenzo, still producing artisanal, handmade, uncompromising wines of the highest quality. 

Quintarelli is considered the father of Amarone, with an ancient history that dates back to the early 1900s in Negrar, the epicenter of Valpolicella, where between 12 hectares of vineyards and with the utmost respect for tradition, about 50,000 bottles a year are produced. The property grows Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella, plus small amounts of Sangiovese, Oseleta, Croatina and Saorin, the latter an ancient local white variety that they are looking to propagate with the help of the local nursery. The average age of the vines is roughly 25 years old, resulting from the combination of recently planted young vineyards that are only 7-8 years old and others that are about fifty years old.

Notes from the Winemaker:

• Careful selection of grapes from specific vineyard parcels that are uniquely suitable for Recioto
• Recioto refers to the “ears” of the grape clusters, the upper shoulders of the bunches that get the most sunlight and are the most ripe. The wine must have significant sugar to go through two alcoholic fermentations and remain sweet.
• Recioto must have significant levels of residual sugar after alcoholic fermentation
• After harvest, grapes sit in wooden boxes or on rush mats
• Careful attention is paid to the positioning of the grapes so the appassimento can occur naturally
• Noble rot starts to appear in November and develops mostly in January
• Grapes are pressed at the end of January and after 20 days of maceration, alcoholic fermentation begins with indigenous yeasts
• Fermentation lasts 45 days
• Wine is then racked and ages in Slavonian oak barrels for five to six years
• All of Quintarelli’s wines are capable of very, very long aging, but none more so than the Recioto

98 Points – Robert Parker’s 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 (packaged in a 375-millliter bottle) 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.” – Monica Larner (Aug 2019)

95 Points – Vinous Media:
”The 2007 Recioto della Valpolicella Classico A Roberto coats the glass with glycerol-like richness while displaying dusty dried flowers, incense, cloves, pine resin, quince and a lifting hint of camphor. It’s silky in texture yet enlivened by bright acidity, as ripe red fruits give way to hints of grilled orange, exotic brown spices and cocoa. While this is certainly sweet, clocking in at 65 grams per liter of residual sugar, it’s also wonderfully balanced and vibrant from start to finish, tapering off remarkably fresh and perfumed with a bitter twang of coffee and dark chocolate. The 2007 is a thrill-ride rendition of Quintarelli Recioto, which may not last through long-term cellaring, but it will wow collectors over the next 10 to 15 years. The Recioto A Roberto is the only wine in the portfolio that undergoes spontaneous fermentation, and it is also matured completely in small oak barrels. As this was the favorite wine and passion project of Roberto Ferrarini, Giuseppe Quintarelli’s enologist who passed in 2014, the family decided to dedicate the 2007 in his honor.” – Eric Guido (Feb 2021)