La Giuva Amarone Della Valpolicella

La Giuva comprises a ten-hectare estate in the province of Verona, of which only five hectares are in production. From their first vintage in 2011, we have been consistently impressed by the aromatic character of La Giuva’s wines, derived from their cool site in the Val Squaranto, a small valley between the Valpantena and the valley of Mezzane. Their vineyards are planted on the top of the hill, at an elevation of 350 – 400 metres, and are picked later than most sites in the hills east of Verona.

The estate was founded by Alberto Malesani, famous in Italy as a former manager of both Fiorentina and Parma (where he won the UEFA cup in 1999). La Giuva is a compound of his daughters’ names, Giulia and Valentina, who have also been involved in the business. The wines are made by consultant winemaker Lorenzo Caramazza, formerly of Cantina Valpantena. In 2023 the Veronesi family of the Calzedonia group purchased the estate.

The balance, concentration and aromatic intensity of the La Giuva wines set them apart from the crowd in Valpolicella and make the estate one of the region’s rising stars. Production is tiny and won’t exceed 50,000 bottles in a good year with all vineyards in production.

Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella, Oseleta

Grapes for the Amarone della Valpolicella are sourced from an eight-hectare plot in the Val Squaranto, a small valley between the Valpantena and the valley of Mezzane. This cool site is planted on the top of the hill, at an altitude of 400 metres above sea level, where the soils are predominantly limestone. The vines are Guyot trained and have an average age of 15 years. The grapes are picked later than most sites in the hills to the east of Verona.

The grapes were dried for 80 days before being crushed and fermented in stainless-steel tanks for 15 days, at a controlled temperature of 23°C. Malolactic fermentation took place before the wine was aged in French oak barriques for three years followed by two years of ageing in bottle.

With a complex and ethereal nose, this Amarone has aromatic notes of morello cherries, soft white pepper, chocolate, and liquorice. Smooth and powerful, the palate is remarkably fresh and finishes with ripe fruit.