Deep ruby color; black cherry, plum, blackberry, raspberry, raisins, cocoa, chocolate, cedar, leather, spice on the nose and palate.
Dry, but ripe fruit gives illusion of some sweetness—amarone this is made from, essentially, raisins. Moderate, tasty tannins; excellent acidity (3.65 pH). Medium-plus to full body; velvety mouthfeel. Just hitting its best drinking window. Blend of 65% corvina, 15% corvinone, 10% rondinella, 10% oseleta. Corvina brings structure and cherry flavors, covinone add robustness and depth, rondinella delivers floral notes, oseleta—usually not associated with amarone—brings color, intensity, and aging potential. Grapes are hand-harvested from the Montevegro vineyard, an exceptional 57-acre plot at an elevation of 1,150 feet located between the Val d’Illasi and Val di Mezzane in the Veneto region of Italy. The effort is a collaboration between the winemaking Pasqua family and the Dal Colle family that owns the land.
Pasqua viticulture emphasizes quality over quantity. Following harvest, grapes spend a four-month period drying in boxes, a process known as appassimento that is essential to amarone. The drying intensifies flavors and concentrates sugars—thus boosting alcohol. This is 16.5% ABV. After drying, there is cold maceration, followed by fermentation in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks for 40 days that includes full malolactic fermentation/conversion. The wine then spends two years in oak, 70% in 60-gallon barriques and 30% in 132-gallon tonneaux, all new French oak. The name “Mai Dire Mai” is Italian for “Never Say Never” and represents Pasqua’s flagship line of premier wines.
The winery history from their website: “Pasqua Vigneti e Cantine is an historic winery that produces high quality Veneto and Italian wines and one of the main players in the Italian and international wine market. A family passion. A century long history.”
The first generation of Pasqua brothers came to Verona in 1925, first as wine traders, then as winemakers. The second generation pushed into export business in the 1960s, then into innovative research in the 1980s. In the 2000s, the company created a new headquarters and manufacturing plant in San Felice, in the heart of the family vineyards. The third generation ventured even more heavily into international trade with the opening of Pasqua USA in New York City in 2009. Pasqua sells up to one-third of its production in the U.S. It has extensive distribution in grocery stores, so should be easy to find and enjoy. Umberto Pasqua and his sons Alessandro and Riccardo run the company today.
Pasqua Mai Dire Mai Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG 2013 is decadent opulence with power, structure, and impressive complexity. Even at 16.5% ABV, it does not drink hot. The balance of tannin, acidity, and rich dark fruit puts this in the premium amarone category. The Pasqua family’s emphasis on quality over quantity means this can be hard to find, but amarone lovers should make the effort to seek it out. Pasqua CEO Riccardo Pasque notes their Mai Dire Mai line of wines is a “liquid expression of the excellence” the winery seeks.
This easily can be enjoyed all by itself. Pair with slow-cooked or braised meats; short ribs, braised beef cheeks; beef dishes with rich sauces; wild game—venison, wild boar, rabbit; roasted duck; duck breast with fruit-based sauce. Italian dishes—brasato all’Amarone (beef braised in amarone), fegato alla Veneziana (Venetian-style liver). Cheese—aged, hard cheeses; parmigiano reggiano, aged pecorino, aged gouda; blue cheeses—gorgonzola, stilton, roquefort, Danish blue. $105-120
