The Amarone selections from Fratelli Tedeschi in San Pietro in Cariano are among the finest in Valpolicella. The new name "Marne 180" speaks volumes. "Marne" means "marl soil" where the vines for this exquisite Amarone grow. 180 refers to the exposure of the vineyards, from southwest to southeast. This wine is made from grapes harvested from various vineyards on hillsides in the Valpolicella region (Mezzane and Tregnago hills). Different sources and different grape varieties are essential for achieving a balanced wine with the fine structure that only a few individual areas in the Valpolicella zone can offer.
The grapes are harvested in late September and early October, after which they dry in the fruit store for four months at controlled humidity. The grapes are then softly pressed, followed by alcoholic fermentation and maceration for forty to sixty days. Finally, the Amarone is aged for thirty months in Slavonian oak barrels, after which the wine is bottled and aged for another six months in the bottle.
The aroma is sultry and powerful, with broad, cherry stones, currants, raisins, figs, and plums. This Tedeschi Amarone is a mouthful of wine, with a rich and lively flavor, bitter and rich, yet still retaining its youthful reserve and firmness. Marne means marl; the wine is named after the soil type and the fact that the vineyards are planted in a semicircle of 180 degrees facing the sun. Amarone is a dry wine made from dried grapes from the Valpolicella region.
