Tommasi Amarone della Valpolicella Classico 2019

The 2019 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico entices with a darkly alluring bouquet of crushed stones and dusty violet florals, accentuating notes of blackberries and hints of candied orange. This is sleek and racy in style, with lifted textures and polished red and blue fruits that flow across a stream of lively acidity. Remaining remarkably fresh through the finish, it tapers off with a confectionary air, leaving a resonance of violet pastille and crunchy tannins to linger on.

The quest is for fresher and drier here, as with many contemporary producers. Kirsch, leather, pine and a waft of dried mushroom to tatami straw. This has a mid-weighted feel and is refreshingly savory, yet without, perhaps, the density, sap and prerequisite freshness of top examples. Some oseleta here, serving as a bulwark against the encroaching heat. I'd like to see this in a few more years when my score may come up a notch.

Subtle and savory on the nose, offering flavors of plump cherry and medicinal herbs underscored by loamy earth and smoke notes on the palate. This is medium- to full-bodied and chewy, with a fresh, lightly spiced finish. Corvina, Rondinella, Corvinone and Oseleta. Drink now through 2029. 25,000 cases made, 7,000 cases imported.