Giuseppe Quintarelli, Veneto Rosso "Ca' del Merlo" Veneto, Italy 2018

55% Corvina and Corvinone, 30% Rondinella, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese, Croatina, Nebbiolo, Cabernet Franc

A single vineyard bottling. 50% of grapes are pressed immediately after harvest, 50% are dried for 2 months. After 3-4 days of maceration, primary fermentation starts with indigenous yeasts. Wine is racked and then sits until February. Wine is racked onto the lees of the Amarone which starts a second alcoholic fermentation (this process is called ripasso). After this fermentation, the wine is racked into large Slavonian oak barrels for seven years.

The late, great Maestro del Veneto, Giuseppe Quintarelli, succeeded in establishing his mythical and legendary estate during an amazing sixty-year career. All of the tradition, love, heart, and soul of crafting one of the world's finest wines continue at the Quintarelli home and winery in the hills north of Verona. Giuseppe's wife Franca, his daughter Fiorenza, his son-in-law Giampaolo, and his grandsons Francesco and Lorenzo are all keeping a close watch over the family's legacy.

It is impossible to speak about Quintarelli without superlatives. The name itself stands for so much: the family, the wines, a style, a tradition, a way of doing things. After all the time, effort, patience, and care that go into the making of a bottle of Quintarelli, it truly does mean so much more than wine.