Cesari Il Bosco Amarone della Valpolicella Classico DOCG 2019 750ml

Il Bosco is Cesari's genuine single-vineyard statement within its broader Amarone program — sourced entirely from grapes grown in the hillside Il Bosco vineyard, nestled in the heart of the Valpolicella Classica zone. The site's alluvial soils, rich in clay and sand, lend the wine real balance and depth, and Cesari's own copy describes it as "a powerful and complex Amarone, forged by time and the strong character of its terroir."

The 2019 growing season brought its own real challenges and rewards: a cool, rainy spring followed a hot March, and while summer turned very hot with two separate heatwaves and localized hail, the spring rains helped preserve water reserves that carried the vines through the dry summer heat. Following harvest, grapes were dried for a full 90 days using the traditional appassimento method, losing roughly 30% of their original weight and concentrating their sugars before an 8-day cold maceration at 6°C and malolactic fermentation in stainless steel. The wine then ages a full two years in a combination of barrique and tonneaux — a genuinely patient aging regime distinct from Cesari's other Amarone bottlings, which more typically rely on large Slavonian oak casks.

Cesari's own official tasting notes for the 2019 vintage describe a wine that's "deep red with garnet reflections," opening with "aromas of cherry, blackberry, chocolate, and sweet spices," the palate "medium-full, velvety, warm, complex, and elegant," closing with "a finish of wild berries, a sweet-and-sour twist, and soft tannins." For broader house-style context across adjacent vintages of Il Bosco, Opici Wines' compiled critic notes describe the wine's typical character as showing "gorgeous notes of chocolate, vanilla coffee, smoked ham and tobacco," with fruit running toward "creme de cassis and dried plum or fig," finishing "rich and toasty with succulence and extreme balance," while another vintage's tasting found "aromas of coffee, pomegranate, prune, fig, grapefruit and mint," developing into "a complex medium-bodied palate of dry fruit, spice, earth and leaf notes," closing with "plums and cherry" carrying "plenty of character and persistence." This is genuinely serious, single-vineyard Amarone — patient, layered, and built for real cellaring.

Origins & Craftsmanship

Cesari Il Bosco Amarone della Valpolicella Classico DOCG 2019 is a single-vineyard wine sourced from the Il Bosco vineyard, located in the hillside terrain of the Valpolicella Classica zone, Veneto, Italy, produced by Gerardo Cesari S.p.A. The vineyard's alluvial soils, rich in clay and sand, are credited with giving the wine its characteristic balance and depth.

Following the 2019 harvest, hand-selected grapes were dried for 90 days using the traditional appassimento method, losing approximately 30% of their weight and concentrating their natural sugars, followed by an 8-day cold maceration at 6°C. Vinification and malolactic fermentation take place in stainless steel, followed by two years of aging in a combination of barrique and tonneaux, then further time in bottle before release.

Tasting Profile

Nose
Deep red with garnet reflections. Cherry and blackberry lead, joined by chocolate and sweet spices, alongside baking spice, cocoa, and toasted nuts in some vintages.

Palate
Medium-full, velvety, and warm, complex and elegant, with concentrated preserved fruit character, particularly cherry, carrying real depth.

Finish
Long, closing with wild berries and a genuine sweet-and-sour twist, softened by supple tannins.

Quick Overview

Food Pairings

• Braised or roasted red meat
• Aged, hard cheeses
• Rich, savory stews
• Dark chocolate desserts