Historical sources report that the Allegrini family played a prominent role among the rich landowners of Valpolicella already in the 16th century, a role that led them to become among the most famous wine producers of that area. Among the leading figures of this family, a special mention, also for the purposes of our history, goes to Walter Allegrini, who joined the company in 1983 as head of viticulture. It was in fact Walter to understand the potential of the Bolgheri territory and to convince the family to bring their background in that area, buying in 2002 70 hectares of land.
One of Walter’s small masterpieces was to guess that in order to produce truly territorial wines it was necessary to diversify the purchase on different microzones: one part close to the sea, one closer to the hill, another on the Via Bolgherese and the last in Bibbona, a few kilometers outside the town of Bolgheri. The cultivation concerned (and still concerns) only 60 hectares on which, from the beginning, an in-depth study of the microclimatic specificities and the composition of the soils of the different vineyards was begun. At the end of this analysis period it was decided to plant Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc in sandy soils rich in skeleton, Merlot in the more clayey and rich in minerals, and other international vines in the remaining part of the land.
The wine symbol of the company for example, whose name is not by chance Dedicato a Walter, is obtained from a plot of 3 hectares facing west/ southwest, on the Via Bolgherese, entirely planted with Cabernet Franc vines at a density of 9000 vines per hectare. From here the grapes, once carefully selected in the plant, are sent to the cellar where they are gently destemmed and left to ferment at a controlled temperature (28/30 ans C) for about 15 days in stainless steel. The must is then left to macerate for about a month and the wine is poured into new barriques where, after malolactic fermentation, it ages for 24 months, before bottling and marketing.
The 2016 vintage shows a concentrated and impenetrable ruby color, with an olfactory range that opens on notes of cooked plum, black cherry syrup, mulberry and tomato concentrate, followed by wilted rose, powder, vanilla and black pepper, with final echoes boisé and of roasted coffee. The palate is mainly soft and generous, although the good balsamic quality and the dynamism brought by the tannins help to balance the 15% of alcohol; all enriched upon the return of the overripe fruit that persists even after an excellent length closure.
Rating: 93/100
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