Amarone della Valpolicella Riserva DOP Classico 2003
€1,243.00
Sold out
Amarone Riserva DOP 2003 is sold out.
An older vintage returns only if we find another case. Leave your email and we will write to you if we do.
Still in the cellar from Quintarelli
Bottle: 750ml
Vintage: 2003
Alcohol: 16,5%
Grapes: Corvina 55%, rondinella 25%, nebbiolo, sangiovese and croatina 15%.
Ageing: 10 years in Slavonian oak.
Aromas: Gentle, enveloping, layered, yielding, remarkably fresh fruit but now giving real depth and astonishing variety, from cacao to cigar box, balsamic to rosewater, clove to to pink peppercorn. Extraordinary.
A hot, difficult year that Quintarelli still turned into something fine. Rare, and fascinating for anyone who follows vintages.
- Drink
- Ready now
- 1 to 3 bottles
- 4 to 6 bottles
- 7 to 12 bottles
Vintage 2003
Stars from the Consorzio Tutela Vini Valpolicella, for Amarone della Valpolicella
A good year in extreme heat. Little rain gave small, sweet, concentrated grapes.
The year of extreme heat: a torrid summer and very little rain.
Little rain fell in winter or summer. Showers and cooler weather at the end of August rebalanced the vines. Sites with good night cooling gave excellent aroma, colour and structure, and Corvina and Corvinone reached notably high sugar. With almost no vine disease the grapes were very healthy, and the bunches set aside for drying were small, loose and thick skinned. Picking for the drying grapes started very early, on 3 September.
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Amarone della Valpolicella Riserva DOP Classico 2003 by Quintarelli
Some vintages are universally terrific, handing out their bounty in equal handfuls to every grower – and indeed some are universally mean, egalitarian in the meagreness of the gifts they begrudge to all. Some vintages however are profoundly variegated, with some wineries for whatever reason flourishing while others struggle, and 2003 was a profound example. While the extremely hot weather was difficult for many, Quintarelli’s vineyards flourished because of their altitude, cooling down at night and ensuring wonderful acidity and a long ripening period. If there’s any vintage which shows off Quintarelli’s particular genius, it is this.
Winemaking: incredibly careful grape selection, and if insufficient bunches qualify the wine doesn’t get made. The grapes in the fruttaio are encouraged to develop noble botrytis as well as drying out, to further encourage sugar concentration. The grapes are then crushed, fermented for a rather long 45 days, then placed into medium-small Slavonian oak barrels to age for an astonishing ten years.
Assemblage: corvina 55%, rondinella 25%, nebbiolo, sangiovese and croatina 15%.
Alcohol: 16,5%
Colour: purplish, but now with profound rose-petal tinges.
Aroma: gentle, enveloping, layered, yielding, remarkably fresh fruit but now giving real depth and astonishing variety, from cacao to cigar box, balsamic to rosewater, clove to to pink peppercorn. Extraordinary.
Palate: full but exceptionally soft, beautifully integrated tannins, notable freshness, elevated fruit and spice and a very long finish indeed.
Ageability: coming up to 20 years after harvest and 10 since bottling, this wine is, incredibly enough, still growing, still changing, and still approaching its absolute peak.
United States
- 1 to 3 bottles€85
- 4 to 6 bottles€94
- 7 to 12 bottlesRegular price €168, now €134
- 13 to 18 bottles€223
- 19 to 24 bottles€273
Customs and the 15% tariff are paid by us
Certified isothermal packaging, temperature controlled transport
Insured in full, at our cost
Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico: €70 extra per shipment
Canada
- 1 to 3 bottles€55
- 4 to 6 bottles€70
- 7 to 12 bottlesRegular price €100, now €70
- 13 to 18 bottles€170
- 19 to 24 bottles€195
Customs and local taxes are paid by the recipient
Certified isothermal packaging, temperature controlled transport
Insured in full, at our cost
United Kingdom, 
Norway, 
Switzerland
- 1 to 3 bottles€30
- 4 to 6 bottlesRegular price €48, now €30
- 7 to 12 bottlesRegular price €60, now €30
- 13 to 18 bottles€84
- 19 to 24 bottles€108
Customs and local taxes are paid by the recipient
Certified isothermal packaging, temperature controlled transport
Insured in full, at our cost
Singapore, 
South Korea, 
Hong Kong, 
Japan
- 1 to 3 bottles€70
- 4 to 6 bottles€100
- 7 to 12 bottles€100
- 13 to 18 bottles€240
- 19 to 24 bottles€295
Customs and local taxes are paid by the recipient
Certified isothermal packaging, temperature controlled transport
Insured in full, at our cost
Australia, 
New Zealand
- 1 to 3 bottles€70
- 4 to 6 bottles€100
- 7 to 12 bottles€100
- 13 to 18 bottles€240
- 19 to 24 bottles€295
Customs and local taxes are paid by the recipient
Certified isothermal packaging, temperature controlled transport
Insured in full, at our cost
Taiwan
- 1 to 3 bottles€70
- 4 to 6 bottles€100
Customs and local taxes are paid by the recipient
Certified isothermal packaging, temperature controlled transport
Insured in full, at our cost
For more than 6 bottles to Taiwan, write to us for a quote
Germany, 
Belgium, 
Luxembourg, 
Netherlands
- 1 to 3 bottles€18
- 4 to 6 bottlesRegular price €28, now €18
- 7 to 12 bottlesRegular price €36, now €18
- 13 to 18 bottles€52
- 19 to 24 bottles€68
Customs included
Certified isothermal packaging, temperature controlled transport
Insured in full, at our cost
France, 
Austria, 
Denmark
- 1 to 3 bottles€20
- 4 to 6 bottlesRegular price €36, now €20
- 7 to 12 bottlesRegular price €40, now €20
- 13 to 18 bottles€56
- 19 to 24 bottles€76
Customs included
Certified isothermal packaging, temperature controlled transport
Insured in full, at our cost
Portugal, 
Spain
- 1 to 3 bottles€26
- 4 to 6 bottlesRegular price €44, now €26
- 7 to 12 bottlesRegular price €52, now €26
- 13 to 18 bottles€68
- 19 to 24 bottles€92
Customs included
Certified isothermal packaging, temperature controlled transport
Insured in full, at our cost
Ireland, Northern Ireland, 
Sweden, 
Finland
- 1 to 3 bottles€30
- 4 to 6 bottlesRegular price €48, now €30
- 7 to 12 bottlesRegular price €60, now €30
- 13 to 18 bottles€84
- 19 to 24 bottles€108
Customs included
Certified isothermal packaging, temperature controlled transport
Insured in full, at our cost
Rest of the European Union
- 1 to 3 bottles€34
- 4 to 6 bottlesRegular price €56, now €34
- 7 to 12 bottlesRegular price €68, now €34
- 13 to 18 bottles€92
- 19 to 24 bottles€124
Customs included
Certified isothermal packaging, temperature controlled transport
Insured in full, at our cost
Italy, mainland
- 1 to 3 bottles€13
- 4 to 6 bottles€15
- 7 to 12 bottles€17
- 13 to 18 bottles€24
- 19 to 24 bottles€32
Free on orders over €99
Certified isothermal packaging, temperature controlled transport
Insured in full, at our cost
Italy, islands and Calabria
- 1 to 3 bottles€20
- 4 to 6 bottles€22
- 7 to 12 bottles€25
- 13 to 18 bottles€30
- 19 to 24 bottles€35
Free on orders over €99
Certified isothermal packaging, temperature controlled transport
Insured in full, at our cost
Quintarelli Winery lies in the Valpolicella area, north of Verona. Known for producing Amarone, Recioto, Valpolicella, and other traditional labels, it is associated with Giuseppe “Bepi” Quintarelli, who began focusing on premium bottled wines in the 1960s. The family’s approach remains discreet: the property in Negrar has no prominent signs, and there is no official website. This modest style protects the calm atmosphere that has guided their work for generations.
The vineyards span multiple zones, including Valgatara, Sant’Ambrogio, and Montorio. Here, soils vary from gravelly alluvial deposits to limestone-rich layers and, in some spots, volcanic rock. The main grape varieties are Corvina, Corvinone, and Rondinella, joined by Croatina, Sangiovese, Nebbiolo, and both Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. The winery also makes a white blend using Garganega, Chardonnay, Sauvignon, and Trebbiano.
Appassimento, a longstanding approach in Valpolicella, plays a key role. Grapes, often picked slightly earlier to preserve acidity, dry on straw mats or racks for several weeks to months. This controlled dehydration boosts sugar concentration and flavours. If the dried grapes ferment fully, Amarone is produced, while stopping fermentation earlier yields the sweet Recioto style.
After appassimento, the family relies on slow fermentations and extended aging in large wooden casks. This measured process highlights depth and structure, reflecting decades of practical knowledge. Only the best grapes become Amarone Classico and, in exceptional seasons, Amarone Riserva. Each vintage reflects the steady methods passed down in the family. Today, Bepi’s daughter Fiorenza leads the estate, carrying on the quiet traditions that give Quintarelli wines their recognizable character.
