Tasting notes:
Allegrini Palazzo della Torre. An elegant, harmonious wine with considerable structure and aromaticity. Ruby red in colour with purplish hues. It initially reveals sophisticated notes of vanilla, black pepper and cloves, echoed by gentle nuances of raisined grapes. On the palate it is velvety, with soft tannins and a long and persistent finish.
Food match:
Cured meats, medium strength and soft cheeses.
Producer/Region: Allegrini Palazzo della Torre
The Allegrini family estate covers 120 hectares of vineyard in the heart of Valpolicella Classico. Although they have been growing grapes here for several centuries, Giovanni Allegrini was the first to start bottling wines from the family’s vineyards. When he died in 1983, he passed a passion for and a commitment to quality wine onto his three children, They worked together to build on Giovanni’s quality ethos until Walter’s death in 2003. Franco looked after the vineyards and the winemaking while Marilisa has always been in charge of sales and marketing. From the 2007 vintage, Franco sacrificed the Classico status of the Valpolicella and bottled the wine under Stelvin to eliminate cork taint and random oxidation problems as much as possible. Franco sadly died in 2022. He led the way in Valpolicella’s quest for quality, forging a path that many others have followed.
Palazzo della Torre covers 26 hectares of east-facing vineyards planted between 1962 and 1989. Situated at an average altitude of 240 metres above sea level. Vines are trained using the Guyot system and planted at a density of 3,000 vines per hectare. The entire area is terraced by traditional dry-stone walling called ‘marogne’ in local dialect, a highly characteristic example of rural architecture. The subsoil is primarily composed of marly limestone that encourages the concentration of sugars in the grapes. All whilst maintaining a good degree of acidity.
Winemaking:
Allegrini uses the modern version of the traditional ‘ripasso’ technique for Palazzo della Torre, Drying a proportion of the grapes in the ‘Terre di Fumane’ drying centre to intensify the character of this vineyard. The fresh grapes were destemmed and pressed immediately after harvest. Whilst the dried grapes underwent the same process in the second half of December. Fermentation took place in temperature controlled stainless-steel tanks in 2 stages. The first at controlled temperatures of between 25 and 29°C for 10 days. The second at temperatures ranging from 8 to 10°C for 15 days. The wine was then aged in second use barriques for 15 months before being blended and bottled.
For more information about the producer:Â https://allegrini.it/en/
