Giuseppe Quintarelli Alzero

In the glass

Aroma: dried blackcurrant, cedar, tobacco, dark chocolate, dried violet, iron

Palate: dark plum, graphite, black olive, espresso, mocha, dried herbs

Quintarelli's Bordeaux varieties treated to the Valpolicella appassimento method: dried Cabernet and Merlot producing extraordinary density, graphite-inflected fruit and a seamlessly long finish.

What it pairs with

• Bistecca alla fiorentina
  The Cabernet spine and graphite tannins are the perfect counterweight to charred Chianina beef fat.
• Wild boar stew with juniper
  Gamey, resinous stew finds its match in the wine's dried-herb and cedar notes.
• Aged Asiago d'Allevo
  Sharp, nutty northern Italian cheese sharpens the wine's dark fruit register.

History

Quintarelli developed Alzero as a unique experiment applying the appassimento drying method to Bordeaux grape varieties, producing a Veneto IGT rather than DOCG as the rules did not accommodate the blend. It is one of Italy's rarest and most sought-after cult wines, produced in tiny quantities from the estate's highest plots.

1. 1983 — First Alzero vintage, applying appassimento to Cabernet and Merlot
2. 1990 — Alzero established as a critical benchmark among collectors

Facts

Producer

Giuseppe Quintarelli

Grapes

Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot

Classification

Veneto IGT

Oak

Aged 7 years in large Slavonian oak casks

ABV

15.0%

Price

€500-800 at retail

Drinking window

10-35 from vintage

First vintage

1983

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