Source: jamessuckling.com. Issue Date: Tuesday, September 6, 2022 (JS-94)

A really fresh and well-balanced Amarone here, with tapenade, ripe but fresh blackberries, chili chocolate and some red berries, too. This is tight and juicy, with a medium-to full-bodied palate and a long, fruity finish. A modern, fresh expression of Amarone that shows immense drinkability, but still pretty serious. Not super-concentrated, but shows restraint and balance. Drink or hold.

Source: Winemaker,

With 2023 we entered the Year of the Rabbit for the Chinese lunar calendar and for the occasion Masi presented the brand new Costasera Lunar “New Year of the Rabbit” label, a limited edition of Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Costasera DOCG, vintage 2017. In recent years, the Chinese New Year has increasingly become the protagonist of the commercial strategies of many national and international luxury brands? Masi has also chosen to honor the anniversary with an iconic product to represent its link with oriental culture.

Proud, majestic, complex and exuberant: this is Masi’s gentle giant. A benchmark for the Amarone category, which, together with Barolo and Brunello, makes up the aristocracy of the Italian wine world. The product of Masi’s unrivalled expertise in the appassimento technique, whereby traditional grapes for the Valpolicella Classica area Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara are laid out on bamboo racks to concentrate their aromas during the winter months.

serving temperature: 18-20 C
alcoholic content: 15% vol.
storage life: 30-35 years
grape varieties: Corvina, Rondinella, Molinara.
Masi’s expertise in grape drying technique.

Tasting notes
Look: very dark ruby red.
Nose: baked fruit, plums and cherries.
Palate: fruity tastes, with hints of coffee and cocoa. Very well balanced.

Food pairing
Excellent as an after-dinner wine, or to go with red meat, game, quails and richly-flavoured dishes. Very good with well-aged cheeses, such as parmesan, pecorino and gorgonzola.
serving temperature: 18-20 C
alcoholic content: 15% vol.
storage life: 30-35 years