Tedeschi Capitel Monte Olmi Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Riserva 2012
-
Robert
Parker -
James
Suckling -
Wine
Enthusiast -
Wine
Spectator
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
The 2012 Capitel Monte Olmi Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Riserva is a clear ruby red color. Aromas of crushed blackberries, spice & flowers combined with notes of Slavonia oak. The palate is full-bodied, with a peppery and berry character, medium tannins and a fine finish. The after-taste confirms the character of the bouquet. This wine has a long-lasting and persistent flavor.
Serve this wine alongside red meat, game and aged cheeses.
Professional Ratings
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2012 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Riserva Capitel Monte Olmi shows huge intensity over a robust mouthfeel. I love that eucalyptus balsamic note that comes up at the top, rounded off by softer notes of chocolate and tobacco. The blend is 30% Corvina, 30% Corvinone, 30% Rondinella and a 10% selection of Oseleta, Negrara, Dindarella, Croatina and Forselina. Aging takes place in large Slavonian oak casks. This is a powerful, full-bodied wine with a knockout 17% alcohol punch that makes no apologies for its strength. It comes forward with pride and boastfulness.
-
James Suckling
The incredible spice, black-plum and bitter cocoa-powder nose of this Amarone rivets you to the spot. Stunning concentration and a breathtaking balance of fruit, tannin and some magic. Very long, silky finish.
-
Wine Enthusiast
Inviting aromas of tilled soil, underbrush and ripe dark-skinned berry lead the nose. The full-bodied concentrated palate delivers prune, raspberry compote, star anise and black pepper alongside big fine-grained tannins.
-
Wine Spectator
This supple, full-bodied red is tangy and aromatic, loaded with bay leaf, graphite and orange peel accents that wind through the wild cherry and strawberry, fig cake and fresh, loamy earth notes. Well-knit and mouthwatering, with the fine-grained tannins framing the expressive finish. Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella and Oseleta.
Other Vintages
2013-
Robert
Parker -
James
Suckling -
Wine
Spectator
Nicolò Tedeschi founded the company that bears his name in the Valpolicella area in 1824. He was a genuine personality of his time, renowned for his skill and moral stature. Throughout the years, his family has continued the traditional wine-making process, and today, the winery is owned by the fifth generation of Tedeschis: Antonietta, Sabrina and Riccardo. Each has various responsibilities, but it is Riccardo, the oenologist, who deals with production and acts as Tedeschi's Export Director.
Tedeschi utilizes two traditional winemaking techniques almost as old as winemaking itself. Amarone della Valpolicella is the only mainstream style where the wines are fermented to dryness, yielding deeply colored and concentrated wines, rich in character, and often rich in alcohol, too. The ripasso method, utilizing the drained but unpressed must of an Amarone, provides some kick to a more basic wine and is also unique to the region.
Each of Tedeschi’s wines must not only be as good as possible, but also as personal as it can be. Each has its own style and a clearly distinguishable character—the genuine “Tedeschi Trademark.” In order to achieve this objective, the family monitors every phase of the wine-making process, from the vineyard to the cellar, without ever trying to substitute nature or its laws in any way.
With hundreds of red grape varieties to choose from, winemakers have the freedom to create a virtually endless assortment of blended red wines. In many European regions, strict laws are in place determining the set of varieties that may be used, but in the New World, experimentation is permitted and encouraged resulting in a wide variety of red wine styles. Blending can be utilized to enhance balance or create complexity, lending different layers of flavors and aromas. For example, a red wine blend variety that creates a fruity and full-bodied wine would do well combined with one that is naturally high in acidity and tannins. Sometimes small amounts of a particular variety are added to boost color or aromatics. Blending can take place before or after fermentation, with the latter, more popular option giving more control to the winemaker over the final qualities of the wine.
How to Serve Red Wine
A common piece of advice is to serve red wine at “room temperature,” but this suggestion is imprecise. After all, room temperature in January is likely to be quite different than in August, even considering the possible effect of central heating and air conditioning systems. The proper temperature to aim for is 55° F to 60° F for lighter-bodied reds and 60° F to 65° F for fuller-bodied wines.
How Long Does Red Wine Last?
Once opened and re-corked, a bottle stored in a cool, dark environment (like your fridge) will stay fresh and nicely drinkable for a day or two. There are products available that can extend that period by a couple of days. As for unopened bottles, optimal storage means keeping them on their sides in a moderately humid environment at about 57° F. Red wines stored in this manner will stay good – and possibly improve – for anywhere from one year to multiple decades. Assessing how long to hold on to a bottle is a complicated science. If you are planning long-term storage of your reds, seek the advice of a wine professional.
Among the ranks of Italy’s quintessential red wines, Valpolicella literally translates to the “valley of cellars” and is composed of a series of valleys (named Fumane, Marano and Negrare) that start in the pre-alpine Lissini Mountains and end in the southern plains of the Veneto. Here vineyards adorn the valley hillsides, rising up to just over 1,300 feet.
The classification of its red wines makes this appellation unique. Whereas most Italian regions claim the wines from one or two grapes as superior, or specific vineyards or communes most admirable, Valpolicella ranks the caliber of its red wines based on delimited production methods, and every tier uses the same basic blending grapes.
Corvina holds the most esteem among varieties here and provides the backbone of the best reds of Valpolicella. Also typical in the blends, in lesser quantities, are Rondinella, Molinara, Oseleta, Croatina, Corvinone and a few other minor red varieties.
Valpolicella Classico, the simplest category, is where the region’s top values are found and resembles in style light and fruity Beaujolais. The next tier of reds, called Valpolicella Superiore, represents a darker and more serious and concentrated expression of Valpolicella, capable of pairing with red meat, roast poultry and hard cheeses.
Most prestigious in Valpolicella are the dry red, Amarone della Valpolicella, and its sweet counterpart, Recioto della Valpolicella. Both are created from harvested grapes left to dry for three to five months before going to press, resulting in intensely rich, lush, cerebral and cellar-worthy wines.
Falling in between Valpolicella Superiore and Amarone is a style called Valpolicella Ripasso, which has become immensely popular only since the turn of the century. Ripasso literally means “repassed” and is made by macerating fresh Valpolicella on the pressed grape skins of Amarone. As a result, a Ripasso will have more depth and complexity compared to a regular Superiore but is more approachable than an Amarone.