Valpolicella DOC Classico Superiore “La Grola” 2022 – MAGNUM

Valpolicella DOC Classico Superiore “La Grola” 2022 – MAGNUM

La Grola is a single-vineyard Valpolicella Classico Superiore from Allegrini, produced from a hillside plot with southeast exposure and a limestone-clay soil that is poor in organic matter but rich in mineral skeleton. The blend is built on 70% Corvina Veronese, 25% Corvinone and 5% Rondinella, all hand-harvested in the second half of September following vineyard selection. Fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks at 20 to 25°C over 15 days using gentle extraction, with no appassimento or ripasso technique applied. The wine ages for 16 months, split between second-use barriques and large 85-hectolitre oak casks, followed by a further 10 months of bottle ageing before release. The result is a wine of notable personality: intense and structured from its tannins, yet kept lively by natural acidity and the fruit of the Classico hillsides. First planted in 1979 by Giovanni Allegrini, the La Grola vineyard is one of the founding projects of quality single-vineyard winemaking in the Valpolicella zone.

The Allegrini family has farmed Fumane, in the Valpolicella Classica, since 1854, and the modern estate took shape in the early 1960s under Giovanni Allegrini, who bought and replanted the La Grola, La Poja and Palazzo della Torre vineyards. His son Franco, one of Italy’s leading winemakers until his death in 2022, set the technical standard, and the seventh generation now runs the house: Francesco, Giovanni, Matteo and Silvia. Holdings reach 150 hectares between the Valpolicella Classica and Lugana, from 180 to over 500 metres, farmed under certified sustainable rules.