Tommasi : Ca' Florian Amarone Riserva 2016

Tasting characteristics and advice for the Ca' Florian Amarone Riserva 2016 from Tommasi

Tasting

Appearance

The wine displays a deep ruby hue with garnet highlights, attesting to its maturity and to the complete extraction of anthocyanins during extended maceration.

Nose

The bouquet expresses remarkable elegance with aromas of ripe red fruits such as cherry, blackberry and plum. These fruity notes are complemented by spicy nuances of licorice and bitter cocoa, revealing the complexity imparted by oak aging.

Palate

On the palate, the wine offers ample volume without heaviness. Its rich, perfectly integrated tannic structure brings length and complexity, while the finish stands out for its striking freshness and rare persistence. The natural acidity preserved during the appassimento process provides a liveliness that harmoniously balances the wine’s power.

Food and wine pairings

The Ca' Florian Amarone Riserva 2016 is ideally enjoyed as a meditation wine, its aromatic complexity warranting undivided attention. It also pairs beautifully with game, mature red meats and characterful aged cheeses. The wine’s tannic richness and alcoholic depth harmoniously complement the fats of richly textured meats, while its aromatic freshness balances the umami of bold dishes.

Serving and cellaring

The Ca' Florian Amarone Riserva 2016 can be enjoyed now and will continue to evolve favorably over the next decade or so. Its outstanding aging potential will allow it to improve over an extended period.

Other characteristics

The 2016 vintage is defined by aromatic breadth and a palate balance oriented toward elegance. It shows moderate residual sugar, high dry extract and a relatively low pH, lending a distinctive balsamic minerality and an exquisitely harmonized, seamless body.

An Amarone Riserva from Veneto combining elegance and intensity

The estate

Founded in 1902 in Veneto by Giacomo Battista Tommasi, Tommasi today represents more than 120 years of winemaking excellence. The house remains entirely run by the family’s fourth generation, made up of nine members including Dario Tommasi (president), Pierangelo Tommasi (CEO) and Giancarlo Tommasi (oenologist). The estate oversees more than 800 hectares of vineyards spread across eight properties in seven Italian regions. Tommasi stands out for its philosophy of fully controlling the production process, from vine to bottle, categorically refusing to purchase grapes from third parties. The estate produced its first Amarone in 1959, becoming one of the pioneers of this emblematic appellation.

The vineyard

The Ca' Florian Riserva 2016 is an Amarone della Valpolicella Classico sourced exclusively from the namesake 5-hectare vineyard located in Pedemonte, in the classic Valpolicella zone. This historic terroir, owned by the family since 1902, enjoys a privileged position on natural terraces with a south-west exposure, overlooking Lake Garda while being sheltered by the Lessini mountains to the north. The vines, averaging 30 years of age, are rooted in soils of glacial origin combining limestone and red clay. This morainic composition provides optimal permeability and a wealth of calcareous fossils, imparting a characteristic minerality to the wine. The exposure and lake breezes encourage slow, controlled ripening of the grapes, allowing the accumulation of phenolic concentration without excessive over-ripeness.

The vintage

The 2016 vintage was marked by climatic conditions favorable to crafting wines of great finesse. The year allowed for complete phenolic ripeness in the grapes, producing wines oriented toward elegance rather than power. Weather conditions fostered the development of remarkable aromatic breadth and exceptional balance on the palate, giving the vintage a distinctive signature defined by freshness and complexity.

Winemaking and aging

The Ca' Florian Amarone Riserva 2016 follows the traditional Veronese methodology preserved by Tommasi. After hand-harvesting and rigorous selection, the grapes are placed in 5 to 6 kg crates and then dried for 100 days on traditional bamboo racks in well-ventilated lofts. This appassimento process concentrates sugars and amplifies aromatic compounds. Pressing takes place in January, followed by a 30-day fermentation in oak vats with indigenous yeasts. Total maturation extends over 4 years: a first year in 225-liter French oak barrels, then three years in large 35-hectoliter Slavonian oak casks. After this wood aging, this wine from Veneto rests for at least a further 12 months in bottle before release, totaling more than 5 years from harvest.

Grape varieties

Corvina, corvinone, rondinella