Allegrini La Poja 2018

Attractive aromas of dark raspberry jam, dried strawberries and figs with hints of dark chocolate, flowers and orange rind. Medium-to full-bodied with very silky tannins and lovely dryness to the mid-palate. Impressive concentration and length, showing a very long, persistent finish with juicy black cherries and bitter chocolate at the end. Nothing sweetish here. Drinkable now, but better after 2023.

The Allegrini 2018 Corvina Veronese La Poja (with 14,000 bottles made) delivers lots of ripe fruit with baked cherry, plum and earthy notes of wet clay, terracotta and rusty nail. This vintage lacks some of the extreme clarity and focus that the Corvina grape is very capable of giving. The growing season saw a cool spring and heat spikes throughout the summer that contribute to the large span of random fruit aromas on offer here.

Aromas of black cherry and plum combine with sandalwood, clove, allspice and savory herbs to woo you into the glass. Elegant, refined, structured and full in body, this wine is pure class. The dark-hued fruit flavors are integrated with the savory elements of the wine, where each plays a key role. The star of the show is on the finish where a distinct minerality reminiscent of chalk stands firm with a lift of acidity around it.