Amarone della Valpolicella, 1961 Red Wine

Description

1961 Bertani Amarone della Valpolicella

Vintage & Background
1961 is a well-celebrated Amarone vintage, and Bertani is one of the producers traditionally known for elevating the style with elegance, structure, and ageability. Amarone’s winemaking method, with partially dried grapes (appassimento), gives concentration of flavour, high alcohol, and the potential to age into something complex and beguiling.

Appearance & Nose
In the glass this Amarone shows a deep, strong ruby red colour, though now it may have begun to edge slightly toward garnet or brick around the rim with age. The bouquet offers classic signs of maturity: dried fruits such as raisins or dried cherries, perhaps some blueberry, with notes of vanilla and other ethereal, barrel-age influences. There may also be spicy touches, leather, tobacco, and forest floor emerging with air, alongside sweet wood aromas.

Palate & Texture
On the palate this wine is velvety and rich, with a raisiny character that Amarone is known for. The flavour profile includes dried dark fruit (currant, fig), perhaps prune, balanced by stylish bitterness typical of this region that keeps the sweetness from becoming cloying. Though the tannins are softened by age, there is still structure and a certain firmness which supports the wine. Acidity helps to give lift, preventing the wine from being flat. The texture is warm, smooth, and generous.

Maturity & Drinking Window
At over sixty years old, this Amarone is fully mature. Well-stored bottles should now show their tertiary character in full: leather, spice, dried fruit, earthy or forest floor notes. While further ageing may continue to reveal nuance, the wine is likely drinking near its peak. Conditions of storage will be especially important for how well it delivers now.

Food Pairing & Serving Suggestions
Serve slightly below room temperature, around 15-17 °C, in a large wine glass to allow aromas to open. This wine pairs well with rich food: aged cheeses, braised meats, game, perhaps dishes with mushrooms or truffles. It can also stand nicely as a wine to sip on its own, particularly after a meal, where its depth and age will be best appreciated.

Overall Impression & Verdict
Bertani Amarone 1961 is a wine that showcases what time can do for Amarone: turning intensity and richness into nuance, power into grace. It’s a wine of presence more than show, where dried fruit, leather, spice, and age combine into a rewarding and contemplative experience. If you have a bottle in good condition, this is one to open when you want something special.

Condition

Low Level