Review #46 – Dal Forno Romano Valpolicella DOP Superiore 2007

A few days ago I received a message through the contact page of my blog: someone from Bootleggers, a small start up that imports boutique wine from around the world to Australia, would like to send me quite a special sample pack and would love my delivery details.

While I have never contacted other parties for free wine, partly because I wanted to maintain impartiality and rise above the agendas that plague the wine industry, I don’t suppose any dedicated wine writer would seriously reject an offer to send them wine when reached out to.

Today, I received the delivery – A crafted wooden box containing a stemless Riedel wine glass, an vial of deep garnet wine (using wine note descriptors for colour has become a habit now), a press release… and an invitation to a very special wine tasting in the future.

According to the invitation, I held in my hands a sample of Dal Forno Romano Valpoicella DOP Superiore 2007.

Let’s see what it tastes like…

The Stats

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Appearance

• Clarity: Clear
• Intensity: Deep
• Colour: Garnet

Nose

• Condition: Clean
• Intensity: Pronounced
• Development: Developing

Palate

• Sweetness: Dry
• Acidity: Medium+
• Tannin: Medium+
• Alcohol: Medium+
• Body: Full
• Flavor Intensity: Medium+
• Finish: Medium+

Conclusions

• Quality: Outstanding
• Readiness/Cellaring: Can drink now, potential to cellar
• Identity: Italy / Valpolicella / Corvina, Corvina Grossa, Rondinella, Croatina, Oseleta
• Price: Premium ($159)

Notes

• Long, thick tears, highly stained
• Aromas of potpourri, dried flowers, dates, prunes, cinnamon, clove, pepper
• Flavours of stewed prunes, spices, cinnamon, dried rose, dried violets
• Unbelievable complexity of flavours and aromas, silky tannins and good lingering finish
• Drink by itself to appreciate the full spectrum of flavours, or match with rib-eye steak, lamb, braised meats

Elaboration

This is probably my first “Outstanding” rating for a wine… and for something that was given to me for free? Am I slipping into the dark side?

However, I have qualified this decision with my notes above, and judging from the sheer complexity of flavour, it’s balance, and the tasting experience as a whole, I could not in good conscience give it any lower a rating. This wine is not merely “Very Good”. It is Outstanding, and deserves to be pointed out as such.

I have tasted Amarone before, and have written with great respect for the style. I also like my big Barossa Shirazes, so it could be said that this style of wine appeals to me directly. Perhaps a writer who has a greater affinity for lighter-bodied Pinot Noir would rate this wine lower, but I can only hope that professionalism would prevent either of us from straying too far from the moderate, balanced path.

Now, about the actual invitation. The included press release is certainly a compelling story and a great marketing tool – who hasn’t dreamed of lucking into an outstanding deal and stealing it away before anyone could notice?

The sample wine received here was “merely” a Valpolicella. I can only imagine how much richer an experience an Amarone from the same producer would offer.

For a simple comparison (and brace yourself for the price difference), see links from Bootleggers below:

• The wine tasted in this article – 2007 Dal Forno Romano Valpolicella D.O.P Superiore
• The wine to be offered at the future tasting – 2008 Dal Forno Romano Amarone della Valpolicella D.O.P

Read more: The Main Attribute of a Wine Snob