Ca’Rugate – Amarone Della Valpolicella – 2020

PRODUCER NOTE:
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. The estate now covers 90 hectares of vineyard. 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”.

VINTAGE:
The 2020 winter was cool with frequent rainfall. The start of the growing season was also marked by rain, but a hot, dry period followed during the summer. Ideal temperatures during the harvest delivered good yields of high quality grapes.

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 were left to dry gently in well-ventilated, humidity controlled rooms for approximately four to five months, concentrating their flavours, sweetness and colour. In winter, the grapes were crushed, and the fermentation started with natural yeasts. The must finished its fermentation in 500 litre oak casks. The wine was then matured in wood for 25-30 months, prior to being bottled.

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.

GRAPE:
Corvina 45%, Corvinone 40%, Rondinella 15%.

COUNTRY:
Italy

REGION:
Veneto

SUB-REGION:
Amarone della Valpolicella