2016 Dal Forno Romano Amarone Delle Valpolicella Monte Lodoletta, Veneto

Inky in the glass with almost no rim. Aromas of cloves, coconut, graphite, dark lush bramble fruit, plums and cherries. Full-bodied with great concentration of fruit and a super-dense and velvety palate. Extremely rich, but balanced by crisp acidity and thick yet dynamic and chewy tannins. Amazing finish of salted chocolate. A superpower Amarone with grace. Try from 2026. Will age for decades.

98 points jamessuckling.com

Dark, dense ruby red. On the nose, notes of cinnamon stick, ripe blackberries, dark chocolate, forest berries confit, oak, dried violets, very complex. Extremely polished on the palate, with a lovely viscosity, great texture, multi-layered, concentrated yet not overdone, finishing on notes of fine coconut, will age superbly, with an infinitely long life.

98 points falstaff.com

As this wine is poured you can sense the care and meticulous work that went into to craft it. Aromas of plum and blackberries merge with clove, anise and licorice roots as sweet tobacco notes waft by. Bold, firm and structured the palate is a statement. Driven now by dark fruit flavors the wine will evolve into a more savory and spice filled room as the wine ages.

97 points wineenthusiast.com

The 2016 Dal Forno Romano Amarone della Valpolicella Monte Lodoletta is a monumental wine that represents the pinnacle of power, precision, and patience. Crafted by the legendary Romano Dal Forno in the Val d’Illasi—an eastern subzone of Valpolicella—this Amarone is known across the world as one of Italy’s most profound reds. Dal Forno, often dubbed the “Gaja of the Veneto,” has built a cult following by pushing boundaries with obsessive vineyard management, extreme fruit selection, and cutting-edge winemaking techniques.

This wine begins its life with an arduous process. Only the best bunches from the estate’s low-yielding vines—mostly Corvina with Rondinella, Croatina and Oseleta—are selected, then dried for around 100 days to concentrate the sugars, acids, and phenolics. Fermentation is slow and deliberate, followed by aging in new French oak for around two years and extensive bottle age before release.

The 2016 vintage is a superb example of balance and structure. In the glass, it delivers a heady bouquet of black cherry liqueur, dark chocolate, espresso, crushed herbs, balsamic reduction, and exotic spice. The palate is vast and opulent yet impeccably defined, with layers of dense fruit, graphite, licorice, and a whisper of dried flowers. Tannins are velvety but present, and the acidity—though subtle—keeps everything in line, ensuring a finish that is both long and thrillingly complex.

This Amarone demands equally bold food: think braised short ribs, dry-aged beef, wild boar stew, or a wedge of aged Parmigiano. While approachable now with air and a hearty meal, it will age for decades and evolve into something even more majestic.