Brigaldara Amarone della Valpolicella Classico 1997

Brigaldara Amarone della Valpolicella Classico 1997: A moderately deep, glossy red with a pink-tinged rim. A lovely nose, with dark roasted fruits, fine dark chocolate and a touch of earthy farmyard. Big, full-bodied and powerful palate, still dominated by ripe but unintegrated, mouth-puckering tannins. There's a good amount of dry fruit, typical Amarone texture and appropriate acidity. I retasted after 24 hours, and the tannins were much less prominent, giving the wine a chance to show its surfeit of sweet blackberry and plum fruit, and its rich texture. Quite backward, and clearly in need of another five years in the cellar. 17+/20 (21/4/03)