The Quintarellis' iconic duo, their Rosso Cà del Merlo and the Valpolicella Classico Superiore, sit hand in hand, grape makeup the main point of difference. The blend here is 55% Corvina and Corvinone, 15% Rondinella, 10% Cabernet (Sauvignon and Franc), 15% Merlot and 5% Nebbiolo, Croatina and Sangiovese. Once picked, grapes are dried for around two months before pressing. After racking what will become Amarone off its skins, the Valpolicella is added to the marc (the Amarone skins left behind). This is the ripasso process, which bolsters the wine’s complexity, color, and structure. A second alcoholic fermentation starts naturally, thanks to the residual sugar in the Amarone skins and the cellar’s native yeast. Once completed, the wine is transferred to large Slavonian oak botti where it remains for around seven years. The only single-vineyard bottling at Quintarelli, Cà del Merlo takes its name from the hill that rises beside the family house and is loaded with powerful flavors of blackcurrant, mint, sage, lilac, and exotic spices. Ever voluptuous and luxurious, it is a more fruit-driven component of the estate's flagship duo. Concentrated yet perfectly balanced with great depth and complexity, intense yet elegant, and, like all Quintarelli wines, never heavy.