Corte Giara, Amarone della Valpolicella

The grapes for the Cortegiara Amarone are grown in vineyards located in the hills of the Valpolicella area, in Colline di Grezzana, Montorio and Marcellise. The vineyards are situated at 180-250 metres above sea level and face south-east, on chalky, well-drained soils. They are pergola trained, with about 3,000 vines per hectare. The vines are 31 years old on average and are pruned with 14-15 buds per fruiting cane.

2021 saw cool temperatures with a significant drop in April, leading to a delay in budburst and flowering. Summer temperatures soared to around 34-35°C, impacting yields and meaning that careful canopy management was crucial to minimize the effects of sunburn on the grapes. By harvest, all varieties had ripened beautifully, attaining concentrated aromatics and flavours.

The grapes were picked in late September and dried in a humidity-controlled drying rooms for three months and lost 40% of their weight. Grapes were gently crushed before underwent fermentation, in temperature-controlled stainless-steel tanks at 8°-22°C for 22-24 days. Daily pumping overs were carried out, to extract good levels of colour and tannins. The wine was then aged for five months in stainless steel tanks, 15 months in oak – half in large Slavonian oak barrels, half in second use barriques - and a further six months in bottle before release.