2022 Allegrini - Veronese Rosso IGT Palazzo della Torre (750ml)

The Allegrini family has farmed in Fumane di Valpolicella, just north of Verona, since the 16th century, with a formal agricultural estate on record since 1854. It was Giovanni Allegrini who, starting in the 1960s, transformed the family farm into a quality-focused winery, introducing viticultural and cellar innovations widely credited with sparking Valpolicella's broader renaissance. After his sudden death in 1983, his children Franco, Marilisa, and the late Walter took over, and it was Franco who developed the double-fermentation technique behind Palazzo della Torre, eventually pulling the wine out of the restrictive Valpolicella DOC and reclassifying it as Veronese IGT in 1997 to allow greater freedom in blending and technique. In 2024 the estate's ownership was reorganized, with the next generation, Francesco, Giovanni, Matteo, and Silvia Allegrini, taking full control of the Valpolicella properties.

Palazzo della Torre blends Corvina Veronese, Corvinone, Rondinella, and a touch of Sangiovese, grown on the family's namesake estate in the hills of Fumane. About seventy percent of the grapes are fermented immediately after an early October harvest, while the remaining thirty percent are picked earlier, in September, and partially dried for several months before being vinified separately. The two wines are then blended together for a second fermentation and aged fifteen months in second-use French oak barriques, followed by further time resting in bottle.

The wine shows a deep ruby color with purple hues, offering wild berry, ripe plum and cherry, raisin, and forest floor, lifted by balsamic freshness and touches of chocolate, coffee, and licorice. The texture is velvety with soft tannins and a long finish. It pairs beautifully with roasted meats, aged cheeses, or braised dishes.