Why Zenato’s Long-Aged Amarone Is a Wine That’s Worth the Wait

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While many Amarone producers send their wine to market after two years of aging or even four for a riserva, Zenato holds back a barrel in special vintages for a limited-edition bottling. The first to reach our shores, which is still available through a few specialty retailers for $650, is Zenato 2008 Amarone Classico Della Valpolicella Archivio Storico. This bottling tells the story of the oldest vines on the Zenato estate during an excellent season that yielded one of the best vintages in years. Unfortunately, 2008 was when winery founder Sergio Zenato passed away, but in the vineyards, the year was extraordinary, “marked by a rare balance between power, elegance, and complexity,” says his daughter Nadia Zenato, who is now the CEO. “The grapes harvested that year offered exceptional quality, and for this reason, as a heartfelt and authentic tribute to the figure of Sergio, we decided to produce a special limited-edition selection, giving rise to what is now known as Archivio Storico.”

Only 2,500 bottles and 400 magnums were produced from one large Slavonian oak barrel, the same material used for the presentation box that holds the wine. Zenato explains that the wood comes from a very cold forest in eastern Croatia, which allows for barrel staves with a much finer grain than French oak, leading to a slower and more controlled micro-oxygenation that is particularly suitable for long aging. But this decision does not just stop at the type of wood. “We believe that Amarone expresses its maximum potential in large capacity barrels, where the interaction with oxygen occurs gradually,” Zenato says. “This type of aging allows a complex evolution, amplifying aromatic intensity and harmonizing power and finesse in a timeless balance.”

The next vintage released is the 2013, which should be arriving on our shores soon. A rainy spring that year was followed by a warm and dry summer that allowed for optimal ripening and a high sugar content in the grapes. The fruit was air-dried for further concentration of sugars prior to fermentation; humidity after harvest always remained below 60 percent, permitting slow and natural dehydration, which takes place over a period of four months. “During the evolution of the vintage and the manual selection of the bunches, we realized that we had an uncommon quality potential on our hands,” she says, which led to the decision to create a second edition of Archivio Storico. “It is not just a wine, but a witness to the excellence that nature allows us to express only in certain vintages.”

While Archivio Storico and Zenato Amarone Classico Della Valpolicella both come from the estate Costalunga vineyard in the Valpolicella Classico zone in the Veneto region, Archivio Storico represents a meticulous selection of the best rows in the vineyard that are given special attention, which includes manual harvesting of the sparsest bunches and stricter control of the drying process prior to fermentation and extended aging. The vineyard’s location at 1,150 feet above sea level offers daily sun exposure that contributes to slow and uniform ripening and steady breezes that provide constant ventilation to maintain freshness and acidity. “It is a plot of land that embodies the true essence of Valpolicella Classico,” Zenato says. “Precisely for this reason, it was selected by my father as the home of our highest expressions of red wines.”

Made with 80 percent Corvina, 10 percent Rondinella, and 10 percent mix of Oseleta and Croatina, Zenato 2008 Amarone Classico Della Valpolicella Archivio Storico is deep ruby to the eye and has a bouquet of Luxardo cherry, clove, and a hint of anisette. It is full bodied and luscious, offering bold tannins and flavors of purple plum, raspberry preserves, holiday baking spices, and hazelnut that softly drift away into a lingering finish. Zenato 2013 Amarone Classico Della Valpolicella Archivio Storico was produced in a limited edition of 2,500 bottles and 200 magnums, each individually numbered. It has a nose of raspberry, mint tea, and star anise. Luxurious tannins ply the palate, warming it up for intense dark berry and Black Mission fig flavors entwined with notes of cocoa powder, nutmeg, dates, and toasted almonds. A soft burst of acidity endures on the tongue long after the glass is put down.

Tasted side-by-side, the elegance of the 2008 and power and finesse of the 2013 shine a light on vintage variation and the subtle effects of bottle aging under perfect conditions. Those looking to build a vertical of this special wine will be pleased to learn that Zenato and her team are paying attention to the evolution of several vintages that they consider promising, including 2018, which she says has incredible potential. Although a date has not been set for the 2013’s release, Zenato assures wine lovers that it will be offered when it has achieved a perfect balance between intensity and maturity, which may require a bit of patience on all our parts.

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