Giuseppe Quintarelli : Rosso Ca' del Merlo 2010

A Luscious and Balanced Wine of Veneto

The late Giuseppe Quintarelli was a true legend in the Veneto region of Italy and beyond. For 60 years he ran his estate and crafted some of the world’s finest wines in the hills north of Verona. Born on the estate in 1927, Giuseppe was a self taught winemaker who, in 1950, took over for his father who cultivated vineyards under a sharecropping system and created his own winery. Today, Giuseppe’s daughter, son in law and grandson continue his legacy. The Quintarelli wines are much more than just wine – they represent something bigger. The Quintarelli wines focus on family, tradition and creating authentic artisanal wine at the highest quality. In a time of mass produced wine in Italy, Quintarelli did not compromise producing quantity over quality. Everything from the type of bottle to the kind of cork was well thought out and the best for the wine. Even the beautiful and distinctive handmade labels were created with care. The vineyards surround the Quintarelli home and cellar, on a limestone soil hill called Monte Ca’ Paletta. The local varieties are trained on pergola veronese system, while the international varieties are trained guyot trellis system.

The Rosso Ca’ del Merlo is made up of a blend of mostly Corvina, Corvinone and Rondinella with a touch of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Nebbiolo, Croatina and Sangiovese all from one single vineyard to create a gorgeous Amarone style wine. Half of the grapes are pressed right after harvest and the other half are dried for two months. The wine goes through two fermentations and sits for just about eight years before it is even bottled. This wine is luscious, balanced and beautiful. It has notes of dark red fruits with a lovely earthy note on the nose while the palate is full of fruit, mocha, fig and spice with a nice balance of tannins and alcohol.