Allegrini, "La Grola", Veneto Rosso 2017

This is a turbo-style non-Valpolicella that is made by one of the most important families in the Veneto. This elegant, rich and powerful wine is very far from the light and insipid Valpolicellas that many of us remember from the 1990s, but doesn't fall into the trap of having to rely on sugary sweetness that some Ripasso techniques have pushed into other wineries in the region.

It is full of dark berry, cherry and plum flavours with natural fruit sweetness shining though developing spice and dried fruit notes. Chocolate and cigar notes develop with damson and fig. It is a really impressive, structured and integrated wine, showing the quality and ageworthy potential that wines form this region can achieve. La Grola is almost one of a kind, but it doesn't have to be - the rest of the Valpolicella wine community should learn from Allegrini!

Nestled in the heart of the Valpolicella Classico zone, Allegrini have been cultivating vineyards here for centuries, but originally for the sale of grapes rather than wines. It wasn't until the mid-late 20th-Century that Giovanni Allegrini began bottling the estate's own production, which has been passed on to his children, Walter, Marilisa, and Franco.

La Grola is the name of the vineyard from which the grapes for this wine come. Bougfht by the family in 1979 is is regarded as one of the best sites in the Valpolicella region, located at 310 metres above sea level on free-draining soils facing south-east. It's an interesting site because it is also very large, at 30 hectares, making it a place that has different ripening areas in different sections, allowing for the cultivation of different varieties, creating a far more interesting blend as a result. This wine is made from Corvina, Corvinone and Oseleta varieties that give structure, colour and freshness to the final wine in spades.

We are very fortunate to have three bottles of the wonderfully generous 2017 vintage available to you - it's showing beautifully well at the moment and will develop further in the coming years.