has come into my possession. How long should one wait for this wine? How good is 2003 for Amarone? Do the questions never end?
Thanks in advance. (esp. since I am going out of town shortly and may not get back with thank yous.)
Joseph Coulter
has come into my possession. How long should one wait for this wine? How good is 2003 for Amarone? Do the questions never end?
Thanks in advance. (esp. since I am going out of town shortly and may not get back with thank yous.)
Joseph Coulter
Joseph, Like you, I am no fan of the '03 vintage in Europe, but I think that Amarones may not have suffered in the same way as other wines, for the simple reason that raisining isn't a problem for them. I don't know what the '03 weather was like in the Veneto, but the only problem I'd forsee is the tannins: in many regions, the heat and drought were so intense that the vines shut down and never fully ripened, leading to greenish tannins. A producer like Masi, though, should have averted the worst problems of the vintage, so I'd think that the wine is at least OK, probably better, in which case it's probably a long ager. FWIW, H. Johnson's handbook calls '03 Amarone "hottiest and driest... should be outstanding"
Mark Lipton
Mark, thank you. I rather imagined that Amarone due to its nature might actually come out OK with the heat. Given the Tannin situation I would think that this might need more than average cellaring?
I think you already have your answer from Mark, but we opened this same wine in a tasting last week. It is rich and well-balanced; "smooth" was a taster quote. Many Amarone's I would find difficult with food, except the most rich of meals, but this one seemed more inviting in that regard. As an aside - I am more familiar with the '00 Allegrini which is quite a bit more intense than the Masi.
Enjoy!
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