Seeing 90 days of appassimento, this blend of 50% Corvina, 20% Corvinone, 20% Rondinella and 10% other mixed grapes was first made in 1969, and this Amarone has followed a very traditional approach ever since. The 2008 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico is a bit drier than its peers (with just 1.56 grams per liter of residual sugar) and carries savory tones of dark fruit, leather, spice and tobacco. The wine ages in stainless steel for the first 12 months and then goes into 50-hectoliter barrels for an additional 72 months. This vintage shows just enough freshness to assure you that this 11-year-old Amarone will hold for another decade. Some 45,000 bottles were made.