The Monte Zovo 2016 Amarone della Valpolicella was born in a beautiful vintage, and the wine shows sharp contours and linearity as a result. However, we are talking about Amarone, so you can expect some lingering residual sugar and general softness to cushion the impact of all the air-dried fruit (and 16% alcohol content). The blend used here is 70% Corvina, 20% Corvinone and 10% Rondinella, and fruit comes from an eight-hectare site with calcareous marl soils. It ages in barrique for 24 months. The wine delivers a good amount of spice and smoke on the full-bodied finish. Production is 20,000 bottles.

Baked plum, cocoa and mocha aromas emerge from the glass. The densely concentrated, one-dimensional palate offers prune, date and star anise alongside velvety tannins and the warmth of evident alcohol.