Review: 2018 Famiglia Pasqua Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG
Famiglia Pasqua’s wines are always exciting, whether you’re sipping on the luxe Mai Dire Mai Amarone or its more affordable Amarone della Valpollicella. It’s the latter we’re tasting today — the 2013 Amarone, which we reviewed last year, is still the current vintage. For the Valpolicella, we’ve skipped ahead from 2016 to 2018 — note that this release (a DOCG) is different from the Mai Dire Mai release, which is a DOC wine. No, I don’t want to delve into it in depth, either.
This 2018 Valpolicella has the same blend as always — Corvina, Rondinella, Corvinone, and Negrara, all appassimento — and it cuts a familiar profile that starts with bright cherry notes and then dives into the rabbit hole of Port-like raisiny elements. Rich notes of figs and craisins, chocolate syrup, and some oxidized wine elements that give the wine a bit of a boozy quality. As is par for the course with any Amarone, this vintage evolves nicely in glass and eventually ekes out a slight coffee character. Gorgeous, but best in moderation, as a second glass begins to weigh down its welcome.
A- / $50 / pasqua.it
2018 Famiglia Pasqua Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG
$50
