Amarone Ca Dei Frati Pietro Dal Cero 2009 Review And Tasting Notes
Amarone Ca dei Frati Pietro dal Cero 2009 is a colossal wine with a complex and intriguing, mysterious aromatic spectrum. Still, it is also structured, with very high alcohol content, reaching 17 degrees. But this is nothing for a massive wine like Amarone, and in Valpolicella, they certainly do not hold back when it comes down to drinking.
Joking aside, this Ca dei Frati Pietro dal Cero 2009 is a great wine: despite being so full-bodied, the rhythm is dictated by an austere fruit, never muscular. The register is symphonic, not granitic on steroids.
The fact of being 13 2009 vintage helps a lot. Indeed all these years in the cellar have done him good. They have sculpted him. The evolution is evident: the spices are ripe and smooth, immersed in a dense fruit, in alcohol.
After all, the care in producing this wine is evident: grapes of Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella, Croatina, yield per hectare of 60 quintals per hectare, 4 months of drying, extended maceration, 24 months of aging in wood, 12 in steel and others. 24 months in bottle.
We are not talking about a basic wine but the spearhead of one of the most famous wineries in Valpolicella.
All this involves thickness, extract, complexity, and a hardly managed amount. However, the final result does not disappoint. The wine is dynamic and bulky but never redundant or static.
The bouquet
The nose is classic, austere, with a ripe fruit based on sour cherries in alcohol that mix with the virile traits of cocoa, licorice, and alpine herbs. The spices gracefully soften the aromatic picture and the balsamic tones. The variety is impressive, the pace fast, sumptuous, yet elegantly designed.
The taste
In the mouth, it is broad and driven by a robust alcoholic vigor; nonetheless, it is never heavy or clumsy. It remains precise, does not swerve, does not get lost in frivolity, and the tannins dictate the pace with severe rhythm.
The structure is colossal, but it never loses sight of drinkability. It invites you to drink, despite the countless spicy and earthy references.
It does not want to be muscular or jelly-winking but austere, tenacious, ethereal, bitter with elegance. Of course, the system takes a thousand directions and opens up to mysterious suggestions, but it is never difficult to read. It is already balanced, but its aging potential is infinite. To try between 5 and 10, and why not 20 years. If you can not uncork it. Not for everyone, but those who love dense wines will love it.
Cost
85 euros: it’s worth it.
Food Pairings
Rich, fatty, and succulent dishes: black truffle risotto, passatelli with Parmigiano fondue and truffle, bucatini all’amatriciana, roast beef, hamburger. fillet a la Wellington, paella.