Family-owned-and-operated, Dal Forno Romano, just 65 exquisitely tended acres, is one of the premier wine producers in Italy, and its world-class Amarone, Valpolicella, and Vigna Serè dessert wine are some of the finest wines made on the planet. Romano remains the patriarch of the estate that he founded with the 1983 vintage, though he is aided by his three sons, Luca, Michele, and Marco. Romano designed Dal Forno’s state-of-the-art facility himself and built it in the 1990s, but it sits on land that the Dal Forno family has owned for generations. Dal Forno Romano has staked its reputation on crafting intense, powerful, nuanced wines that tread the fine line between modern and traditional, and the estate accomplishes this task through mindful viticulture and thoughtful viniculture. Yields are kept to an astonishing 11 ounces of grapes per vine through meticulous green harvesting, while winemaking protocol marries Veneto tradition with technical innovation. To Romano and his estate, family is everything: the members work there, their residence is annexed to the cellar, and only family members are allowed on the sacred ground where the wines age. It’s a deep, profound commitment to winemaking, and Dal Forno Romano wines reflect the impassioned care of their dedicated makers.

Tasting Notes

Upon release, this 2008 Valpolicella Superiore received heaps of praise for its intensity, kaleidoscopic palate, and relative early approachability. Now with fifteen years of maturity, this wine is firing on all cylinders — it’s a true “baby Amarone”! Gobs of inky black fruits and crisp red berries are wrapped with melted chocolate, woodsmoke, peppery spices, forest floor, coffee beans, and leather in this bewitching wine. Firm, chewy tannins, electric acidity, and loads of dry extract harmonize wonderfully in this long-aging blockbuster wine. 

Corvina, Rondinella, and Molinara

Italy, Veneto

14%