{"title":"Amarone Superstar Brigaldara “well ahead of the pack”","description":"\u003cp\u003eLast week we hosted Lamberto Cesari of Brigaldara at Tozi, and it was one of those tastings that changes minds. If your picture of Amarone is a big, sweet, boozy blockbuster, think again: these wines capture the new wave of elegant, lifted, perfumed Amarone.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eEric Guido at Vinous has been following the estate closely. He singles Brigaldara out as the leader of Valpolicella’s new 'contemporary' style: “\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMany have yet to perfect that approach, but Brigaldara is well ahead of the pack.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e” Antonio Cesari is refreshingly candid about how they got there: “\u003cem\u003eWe depended too much on overextraction until 2019, seeking concentration. However, we then moved toward refinement, with shorter macerations to bring out more elegance and showcase the pure qualities of the grapes.\u003c\/em\u003e”\n  \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"read_more_section\"\u003e\nYou can taste that right across the range. The Case Vecie wines, from vineyards at nearly 500m, are lithe, sinuous and herbal. The 2018 Amarone is starting to take on a ferrous, almost sanguine edge, with something like jasmine tea on the finish. The Case Vecie Valpolicella Superiore 2022 comes from those same high parcels and costs under £24, which makes it the bargain of the line-up. And don’t miss the Picol de Legno. It’s only the second vintage of a Garganega made with a portion of grapes dried Amarone-style, which gives it real texture and depth.\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eGuido’s verdict on the estate is simple: “\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eUltimately, it’s hard to go wrong with any of the wines in this portfolio.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e” To make that easy, we’ve put together a mixed six, with one bottle of each wine from the Valpolicella up to the Case Vecie Amarone. Everything is landed and duty paid, so it’s ready for Christmas.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEstimated delivery mid-November.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"brigaldara-recioto-della-valpolicella-2021-half-bottle","title":"Brigaldara, Recioto della Valpolicella, 2021 - Half-bottle","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eEst. delivery mid-November, 2026\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBrigaldara is one of Valpolicella's most consistent names, a family estate that has farmed the hills above San Floriano for generations without ever chasing fashion. This Recioto, the sweet forebear from which Amarone was eventually born, is made from the same Corvina, Corvinone and Rondinella grapes left to shrivel slowly on straw mats through the winter months, concentrating sugars, flavour and that distinctive raisined intensity before a long, patient fermentation that stops short of dryness.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn the half-bottle it's a thoughtful, generous pour: thick, dark and sweet, with dried cherry, fig, clove and a bitter espresso-like twist that stops it ever feeling cloying.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Brigaldara","offers":[{"title":"DUTY PAID \/ 1 X37.5CL","offer_id":67718210027827,"sku":"BRIG-RECI-21-6-37-DUTY PAID","price":26.9,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"DUTY PAID \/ 6X37.5CL","offer_id":67718210060595,"sku":"BRIG-RECI-21-6-37-DUTY PAID","price":161.4,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0767\/7463\/7875\/files\/brigaldara-recioto-della-valpolicella-375.jpg?v=1792138461"},{"product_id":"brigaldara-valpolicella-2025","title":"Brigaldara, Valpolicella, 2025","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eEst. delivery mid-November 2026\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBrigaldara is one of Valpolicella's quietly brilliant family estates, based in Sant'Ambrogio and better known to many for their Amarone and Ripasso. But it's this entry-level Valpolicella that tells you who they really are, because it takes real skill to make something this unpretentious taste this good. There's nothing showy here, just honest, bright, Veronese red wine done properly.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eExpect a glassful of cherry and redcurrant with a herby, almost savoury edge, light on its feet and built for drinking rather than pondering. This is the wine Valpolicella farmers drink at their own kitchen tables, and we'd suggest you do the same.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Brigaldara","offers":[{"title":"DUTY PAID \/ 1 X75CL","offer_id":67718210191667,"sku":"BRIG-VALP-25-6-75-DUTY PAID","price":16.8,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"DUTY PAID \/ 6X75CL","offer_id":67718210224435,"sku":"BRIG-VALP-25-6-75-DUTY PAID","price":100.8,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0767\/7463\/7875\/files\/brigaldara-valpolicella-doc-750.jpg?v=1792148274"},{"product_id":"brigaldara-case-vecie-valpolicella-superiore-2022","title":"Brigaldara, Case Vecie, Valpolicella Superiore, 2022","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eEst. delivery mid-November, 2026\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCase Vecie is named for the old farmhouse ruins that once stood among these vines on the estate's highest, oldest parcels in Valpolicella Classico. Made in the Superiore style, with a portion of the grapes given a shorter appassimento than you'd find in Amarone, it has all the richness of dried-fruit concentration but none of the heaviness. This is Valpolicella with its collar straightened: serious, structured, built to last rather than to charm on first pour.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn the glass it shows the darker, more brooding side of Corvina, Corvinone and Rondinella, with firm tannins and real savoury depth rather than the jammy sweetness some associate with the region's lesser bottlings. This will reward anyone patient enough to let it unwind at the table over a long Sunday lunch.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Brigaldara","offers":[{"title":"DUTY PAID \/ 1 X75CL","offer_id":67718210355507,"sku":"BRIG-CAVE-22-6-75-DUTY PAID","price":23.9,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"DUTY PAID \/ 6X75CL","offer_id":67718210388275,"sku":"BRIG-CAVE-22-6-75-DUTY PAID","price":143.4,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0767\/7463\/7875\/files\/brigaldara-vecie-valpolicella-superiore-750.jpg?v=1792070249"},{"product_id":"brigaldara-valpolicella-superiore-ripasso-2024","title":"Brigaldara, Valpolicella Superiore Ripasso, 2024","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eEst. delivery mid-November, 2026\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBrigaldara's Ripasso is the kind of wine that explains why the Valpolicella hills are worth getting excited about. Made by passing young Valpolicella Superiore over the pressed skins of dried Amarone grapes, it borrows weight and richness from its grander sibling without quite shouldering Amarone's intensity or price tag. The result is a wine that drinks like a halfway house between easy Valpolicella and brooding Amarone, and does so with real charm.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eExpect dark cherry, baked plum, and a gentle warmth from the raisined grapes that gave it a second life in the cellar. There's a velvety texture, soft tannins wrapped in chocolate and dried herb, and enough structure to suggest it isn't just for drinking young.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Brigaldara","offers":[{"title":"DUTY PAID \/ 1 X75CL","offer_id":67718210519347,"sku":"BRIG-VSRP-24-6-75-DUTY PAID","price":22.4,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"DUTY PAID \/ 6X75CL","offer_id":67718210552115,"sku":"BRIG-VSRP-24-6-75-DUTY PAID","price":134.4,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0767\/7463\/7875\/files\/brigaldara-valpolicella-ripasso-750.jpg?v=1792147557"},{"product_id":"brigaldara-picol-de-legno-garganega-2022","title":"Brigaldara, Picol de Legno, Garganega, 2022","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eEst. delivery mid-November 2026\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBrigaldara is a name most people associate with Amarone, but the Cesari family know Veneto's white side just as intimately, and Picol de Legno is their proof. Made from Garganega, the grape behind Soave, this is a wine that trades power for poise: pale gold in the glass, it offers apple, citrus peel, and that distinctive almond bitterness on the finish that marks out good Garganega from the merely pleasant.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere's a gentle waxiness to the texture that keeps it interesting rather than simply refreshing, and it drinks well young. We'd pour it slightly cooler than you think necessary and reach for it on a warm afternoon when something structured but undemanding is called for.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Brigaldara","offers":[{"title":"DUTY PAID \/ 1 X75CL","offer_id":67718210879795,"sku":"BRIG-GARG-22-6-75-DUTY PAID","price":29.8,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"DUTY PAID \/ 6X75CL","offer_id":67718210912563,"sku":"BRIG-GARG-22-6-75-DUTY PAID","price":178.8,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0767\/7463\/7875\/files\/brigaldara-picol-de-legno-750.jpg?v=1792143459"},{"product_id":"brigaldara-cavolo-amarone-della-valpolicella-2020","title":"Brigaldara, Cavolo, Amarone della Valpolicella, 2020","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eEst. delivery mid-November 2026\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBrigaldara’s Cavolo Amarone della Valpolicella 2020 is a benchmark example of traditional Amarone - rich, elegant, and perfectly balanced between power and poise.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe grapes are sourced from the Cavolo vineyard, where only the most open, well-exposed bunches are chosen. After harvest, the grapes are dried naturally for about 120 days, concentrating their flavours and sugars. Once vinified, the wine undergoes a long aging of at least four years in large oak barrels, a nod to the classic Valpolicella approach that favours complexity and refinement over flashiness.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe result is a deep, beautifully structured Amarone, with that signature Brigaldara freshness that keeps the richness in check.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBrigaldara is one of the region’s most respected family-run estates, located near San Floriano in the heart of Valpolicella Classica. The Cesari family, who have owned the estate since 1929, are known for their meticulous vineyard work and commitment to expressing each terroir authentically.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Brigaldara","offers":[{"title":"DUTY PAID \/ 1 X75CL","offer_id":67723177656627,"sku":"BRIG-CAVO-20-6-75-DUTY PAID","price":33.6,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"DUTY PAID \/ 6X75CL","offer_id":67723177689395,"sku":"BRIG-CAVO-20-6-75-DUTY PAID","price":201.6,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0767\/7463\/7875\/files\/brigaldara-amarone-cavolo-750.jpg?v=1792141026"},{"product_id":"brigaldara-case-vecie-amarone-della-valpolicella-2018","title":"Brigaldara, Case Vecie, Amarone della Valpolicella, 2018","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eEst. delivery mid-November 2026\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBrigaldara's Amarones show remarkable clarity: vivid black cherry, balsamic spice, and that haunting twist of bitter herbs and cocoa that makes Valpolicella’s top reds so captivating.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe 2018 Brigaldara ‘Case Vecie’ is named after a natural and rural microcosm located on the high hills of the municipality of Grezzana, and is Brigaldara's agricultural bet which aims at nurturing its vines cultivated in a high-altitude ecosystem.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBrigaldara, owned and run by the Cesari family since 1929, has become one of the region’s true reference points. Their approach is classic, never showy - precision in the vineyard, restraint in the cellar, and a clear focus on the integrity of fruit and place.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Brigaldara","offers":[{"title":"DUTY PAID \/ 1 X75CL","offer_id":67723371774259,"sku":"BRIG-VECI-18-6-75-DUTY PAID","price":54.5,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"DUTY PAID \/ 6X75CL","offer_id":67723371807027,"sku":"BRIG-VECI-18-6-75-DUTY PAID","price":327.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0767\/7463\/7875\/files\/brigaldara-amarone-case-vecie-750.jpg?v=1792145997"},{"product_id":"discover-brigaldara","title":"Discover Brigaldara","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eEst. delivery mid-November, 2026\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe recently hosted Lamberto Cesari of Brigaldara at Tozi, and it was one of those tastings that makes you rethink Amarone. Forget the big, sweet, boozy blockbusters: these are elegant, lifted and beautifully perfumed wines, showing a fresher side to Valpolicella’s most famous red.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs Eric Guido of Vinous puts it, “\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eUltimately, it’s hard to go wrong with any of the wines in this portfolio\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e”. So we’ve put together a mixed six, with one bottle of each wine, working up from Valpolicella to the impressive Case Vecie Amarone. All landed and duty paid, ready to enjoy over Christmas.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eIn the Case\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBrigaldara, Valpolicella, 2025\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“\u003cem\u003eDelicious\u003c\/em\u003e”\u003cbr\u003e93\/100, James Suckling\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“\u003cem\u003eOn the palate, it’s exceptionally juicy and lively, with great drinkability, juicy acidity, and a salty finish.\u003c\/em\u003e”\u003cbr\u003e93\/100, Falstaff\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBrigaldara, Valpolicella Superiore Ripasso, 2024\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“\u003cem\u003eOn the palate, it offers plenty of fruit sweetness, delicate tannins, medium body, and good balance.\u003c\/em\u003e”\u003cbr\u003e93\/100, Falstaff\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBrigaldara, Case Vecie, Valpolicella Superiore, 2022\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“\u003cem\u003eVery fruity on the palate with pleasant freshness and fine tannins, very juicy on the finish.\u003c\/em\u003e”\u003cbr\u003e94\/100, Falstaff\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBrigaldara, Picol de Legno, Garganega, 2022\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“\u003cem\u003eSoothingly round in feel, this washes across the palate with a mineral-tinged blend of green apples and hints of lime.\u003c\/em\u003e”\u003cbr\u003e90\/100, Eric Guido, Vinous\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBrigaldara, Cavolo, Amarone della Valpolicella, 2020\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“\u003cem\u003eThe Cavolo is already stunning and an excellent example of the more savory style of Amarone.\u003c\/em\u003e”\u003cbr\u003e94\/100, Eric Guido, Vinous\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBrigaldara, Case Vecie, Amarone della Valpolicella, 2018\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“\u003cem\u003eThe 2018 Amarone della Valpolicella Case Vecie is darkly alluring and brooding in the glass, with a dusting of confectionary spice and dried violets complementing wild blueberries and a lifting whiff of fresh mint.\u003c\/em\u003e”\u003cbr\u003e96\/100, Eric Guido, Vinous\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Brigaldara","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67818793500979,"sku":null,"price":181.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0767\/7463\/7875\/files\/brigaldara-discovery-case-web.jpg?v=1793188197"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0767\/7463\/7875\/collections\/brigaldara-co.jpg?v=1793188494","url":"https:\/\/www.honestgrapes.co.uk\/collections\/amarone-superstar-brigaldara-well-ahead-of-the-pack.oembed","provider":"Honest Grapes","version":"1.0","type":"link"}