SIZE
3 PACK, 750ml BOTTLES, $659.99 EACH
PRODUCER
Giuseppe Quintarelli
VINTAGE
2016
COLOUR
red
SUB-REGION, REGION, COUNTRY
Veneto IGT, Veneto, Italy
GRAPE
cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, merlot
96 Points, Robert Parker Wine Advocate
The Quintarelli Giuseppe 2012 Cabernet Alzero (packaged in a heavy glass bottle) is a stunning wine that delivers a level of cautious brawn, intensity and fruit weight that sets this wine apart within the portfolio. The blend is 40% Cabernet Franc, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Merlot, and the grapes all undergo a few months of appassimento. I've been asked about possible perception of VA (volatile acidity) that can sometimes appear in wines made with air-dried fruit. As a much-respected Italian colleague once told me, "serve a dare spalla," ("it gives a shoulder to the wine"), and I can't help but admire the beautifully lifted and upright quality of the bouquet that appears especially radiant and buoyant in this wine. The magic, whatever it is, works.
Notes by Anthony Lynch
Have you ever wondered what first-growth Bordeaux would taste like if subjected to the great Venetian tradition of producing wine from dried grapes? The Alzero is just that, combining the leather, tobacco, and blackcurrant of the Left Bank with the concentration and intense notes of ripe fruit acquired from appassimento in this powerful monument to northern Italian viticulture. The sublime flavors persist on the epic, never-ending finale to what is essentially an Amarone made from Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot.
