The history of Stefano Accordini winery dates back to the early ‘900 when Stefano’s father, Gaetano, worked as a sharecropper in Valpolicella, producing wines for local consumption. It will be Stefano to glimpse all the potential of this activity and decide, following the abolition of sharecropping, to buy, in the valley of. Negrar, what, to this day, remains his most emblematic vineyard: il Fornetto. Half a century has passed since then and the winery has passed to the sons of Stefano, Tiziano and Daniele (assisted by the wives Eleonora and Raffaella) and, today, to the grandchildren Giacomo, Paolo and Marco.
In this period of time the winery has obviously undergone several modernization processes, from the replanting of vineyards, to the renewal of aging containers, until the construction of a new cellar, in 2011. This last aspect has a pretty important value because with the new environments has been given official shape to an idea cultivated for some time by the Accordini family: that of increasing altitude to produce its wines. From il Fornetto vineyard, at 130 meters above sea level, the winery expanded, between 2002 and 2018, adding another 11 hectares, at altitudes ranging from 400 to over 600 meters, becoming the highest winery in the classic Valpolicella.
This choice of altitude has given the winery the opportunity to take advantage of lower average annual temperatures, and a greater temperature range, giving rise to wines, from both indigenous and international vines, with a cooler and richer taste spectrum. To this was also added the acquisition, by the winery, of an eco-sustainable philosophy that led to the organic certification, obtained in 2015. This philosophy was then extended to the hotel, the Acinatico farm, which, using renewable energy, allows to carry out a project of hospitality with zero impact.
Among the wines produced in the most prestigious line, the one that takes the name of “Collezione Fornetto”, immediately after the famous Amarone, there is the Valpolicella Classico Superiore Ripasso DOC il Fornetto. It is a blend of Corvina (60%), Rondinella (20%), Corvinone (15%) and Molinara (5%) whose selection, after a few months of aging is “ripassata” on the Amarone Riserva pomace. After this process it takes three years of aging in oak barrels before bottling and marketing.
The 2015 vintage shows a consistent and concentrated ruby color, with an olfactory range that opens on notes of blackberry, black cherry in spirit, red currant and eucalyptus, followed by pot pourri, toasted cocoa, carob and black pepper, with final echoes of vinyl and carpentry. The palate is developed on a very soft glyceric direction, almost sweet, accompanied by elegant tannins and a juicy acidity; all enriched by the return of the fruit in spirit and the spices that accompany the sip up to an excellent length closure.
Rating: 88/100
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