The 2016 Dal Forno Romano Amarone della Valpolicella is a notable wine from the Veneto region of Italy. This proprietary blend, primarily consisting of 60% Corvina, 20% Rondinella, 10% Croatina, and 10% Oseleta, has garnered attention for its depth and complexity. Aged in French and American new oak for two years, this wine is designed for those with a penchant for rich, bold flavors.
The 2016 vintage is celebrated for its density and concentration, with Decanter describing it as "fuller and broader in the shoulders compared to the 2017 Amarone." The reviewer notes that it’s "enticing already" with a future that "looks very bright indeed," suggesting an optimal drinking window between 2025 and 2055.
Vinous echoes this sentiment, labeling the wine a "sleeping giant" and highlighting its "masses of mineral-tinged dark red fruits and balsamic tones." The review emphasizes the wine's "cool-toned feel" and suggests that it requires "serious cellaring" to reach its full potential, with the potential being described as "off the charts."
James Suckling also provides high praise, pointing out the wine's "great concentration of fruit" and "super-dense and velvety palate." The review describes an "amazing finish of salted chocolate" and concludes that this is a "superpower Amarone with grace," recommending it be tried from 2026 and noting its potential to age for decades.
Wine Spectator, while slightly more restrained in its score, still awards the wine a 95, praising its "dark and dense" nature and the "fragrant accents of tarry smoke, graphite, coffee liqueur, and warm spices." The publication advises that the wine will benefit from "some time in the cellar or extensive decanting" to allow it to shine, recommending a drinking window from 2027 through 2040.
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate also lauds the wine, stating that it "takes wine intensity to almost unthinkable levels." The wine's "full-bodied texture" and complex array of flavors, including "black fruit, baked plum, tobacco, soy sauce, grilled herb, and sweet spice," are highlighted. The review also notes the wine's impressive alcohol content of 16.5% and advises aging for at least another decade.
In summary, the 2016 Dal Forno Romano Amarone della Valpolicella is a highly regarded wine, praised for its richness, complexity, and aging potential. With scores consistently in the high 90s, it is a wine that promises to deliver a rewarding experience for those with the patience to let it mature.