Ca'Rugate Amarone DOCG 2016 -12 bottles for the price of 10
This is the entry-level Amarone from Ca Rugate but it's anything but an entry-level wine. This is a full-blooded Amarone with masses of complexity and character. It's intense colour is equally only by the intense flavours it displays. This is a serious red wine which will dominate many dishes so it's advisable to pair with game dishes or mature cheeses. It is often drunk post-meal instead of Port or Cognac as at 15% alcohol it's strong enough to be respected and sipped slowly whilst appreciating the wines development as its breathes.
The family business has been handed down through the generations of the Tessari family since the early 1900s. The Estate was renamed Ca'Rugate in 1986, taking its name from the volcanic hills where the vineyards are located. Now run by the fourth generation, Michele has brought with him a lively, passionate and entrepreneurial spirit. Considerable expansion has taken place in recent years with investment in a new technologically advanced cellar and expansion into the Valpolicella area with the purchase of vineyards in the hilly zone of Montecchia di Crosara. Ca'Rugate has been awarded the prestigious 'Tre Bicchieri' award rating from Gambero Rosso multiple times, making it one of the most awarded producers in the competition and has been hailed by the New York Times as one of the "Top Five producers of high end Soave".
Vineyard
The grapes come from a vineyard on the hills of Montecchia di Crosara, where the soil is gravel and limestone. Hand-picked during the last two weeks of September and laid in flat small wooden boxes containing an average of just six kilograms. This allows good airflow during the crucial drying process.
Winemaking
The grapes are left to dry gently in well-ventilated, humidity-controlled rooms, for around four to five months, concentrating their flavours, sweetness and colour. In winter, the grapes are crushed, fermentation starts with a natural yeast. The must finishes its fermentation in 500l oak casks. The wine then matures in wood for 25-30 months, before bottling.
Tasting Note
Intense garnet red in colour, with concentrated sweet fruit aromas of currants, ripe blueberries and cherries, enhanced with a hint of spicy oak. Beautifully balanced on the palate, it is rich, full-bodied and complex with a lingering finish.
Serving Suggestion
Ca Rugate Amarone is traditionally served to accompany game, char-grilled meats, roasts with rich flavour some sauces and mature cheese.
Grape
Corvina 40%, Corvinone 30%, Rondinella 30%
Country
Italy. Region: Veneto
Alcohol: 14.5%
Body Value: D (A is light, E is full-bodied)
Residual Sugar: 3.2
Contains Sulphites: Yes
Vegetarian/Vegan: Yes/Yes
Milk/Eggs: No/No
Organic/Biodynamic No/No
