Such a complex nose, with a base of dried cherry, spruced up with hints of mild coffee and walnuts. Then there are dried flowers, wild herbs and spices, such as tarragon and cloves. Subtle hints of dried banana and apricot, too. The palate is full, super sleek, intense and well-balanced, with tight, spice-coated tannins that drive everything forward. Long, long finish. \n \n Producer Information \n Bertani is an Italian wine producer in the northeastern wine-producing region of Veneto. The estate has two wineries: one in Valpolicella Valpantena and the second, Tenuta Novare, at the epicentre of Amarone and Valpolicella Classico Superiore winemaking country. Bertani's history dates back to 1857 when brothers Giovan Battista and Gaetano Bertani established the original winery in Grezzana, Valpolicella Valpantena. Today, Bertani comprises more than 200 hectares (500 acres) of cultivated vineyards across Verona: Lake Garda, Valpolicella Valpantena, Soave and Valpolicella Classico. Valpolicella Valpantena is where Bertani produces its most revered wines – Secco Bertani (Verona IGT), Amarone della Valpolicella Valpantena DOCG and Recioto della Valpolicella Valpantena DOCG. These are made from the region's classic grape varieties including Corvina and Rondinella, as well as Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon from further afield. The newer Tenute Novare estate, purchased by Bertani in 1957, sits in the centre of a valley in the Valpolicella Classico region and is planted with vineyards on slopes of mineral-rich clay and basalt soils. The grapes for the estate's signature Amarone wines are dried naturally without the use of artificial air conditioning. The grape musts are then fermented for more than 50 days in concrete vats before seeing approximately six years in Slavonian oak barrels and 12 months in bottle. The Bertani white wine portfolio is largely supplied by its vineyards in the Lugana and Custoza areas of Lake Garda, as well as holdings in the Soave region. The estate's vineyards in Lugana are planted to white Trebbiano di Lugana, while its Custoza vineyards are planted with Garganega, Trebbiano, Cortese and Malvasia for the Bertani Custoza DOC wine. In Soave, the estate's Sereole "cru" vineyard provides the Garganega grapes for the creation of its Soave vintage and Soave DOC wines. Indeed, it was Bertani's Soave wine that graced the dining tables at the King of England's coronation in 1937.
