Masi Amarone della Valpolicella Mazzano 2009

Wine Advocate 96 points - The 2009 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Mazzano is a profound and stunning expression. Amarone hardly gets better than this. This top-shelf wine opens to a midnight black appearance and virtually no light penetration. The bouquet is balanced and complex at the same time and this is no easy feat for a wine made with air-dried grapes. Prune, black plum, blackberry confit, smoke, tar and barbecue smoke appear with carefully measured intensity. There is a point of sourness on the finish and the alcohol clocks in a 16%. Care should be taken when pairing this wine with food. Aged cheese or fatty meat dishes would make a fitting contrast to the mouth-cleaning power of this very rich and powerful Amarone..May/2017

Wine Spectator 95 points - A firm and focused powerhouse, with pureed black cherry, tar, mocha and herbed black olive flavors tightly knit to a dense, tannic structure, while hints of brambly berry, floral and spice gain momentum midpalate and linger on the racy finish. Drink now through 2034. From Italy.-A.N..May/2016

Wine Enthusiast 93 points - Mature black plum, tobacco, crushed violet, cake spice and toast aromas mingle together in the glass. The taut full-bodied palate delivers dried black cherry, prune, espresso, orange peel and licorice alongside a backbone of close-grained tannins. This is still extremely young and tightly wound, so give it time to fully develop. Drink 2019-2029..Kerin O'Keefe, May/2017

Vinous 93 points - Deep red-ruby. Wild, musky aromas of blueberry, dried herbs, truffle, underbrush and pepper. Large-scaled, dense and very rich in the mouth, showing more fruit and textural softness in this vintage than Mazzano Amarones usually do. Finishes with outstanding acid-fruit-tannin balance and building dusty tannins, not to mention lingering nuances of flint and licorice. This 2009 is just as massive as Mazzano always is, but offers more grace and sweetness than usual. (16% alcohol).Ian DAgata, May/2017