La Botte Segreta Amarone 2016

Amarone is Italy’s richest, most hedonistic red. That’s thanks to the appassimento method, where grapes are air dried after harvest until each one becomes a small knot of intense, complex flavor. The amount of time and care it takes to craft this special wine means it’s also one of Italy’s most expensive—until today.

Our Italian expert, Leonardo, was born and raised in Rome, and has a pretty enviable set of contacts in the wine industry. On a recent trip, he secured a deal that literally made us do a double-take. These guys grow grapes (and make wine) for the two most prestigious names in Amarone.

We can’t mention their names of course, since Leo was sworn to secrecy as part of the agreement to secure this unheard-of price. But we can tell you that the wines from those top names retail for $70+ a bottle. But that’s not what you’ll pay …

La Botte Segreta (’the secret barrel’) is a classic blend of Corvina Veronese and Rondinella from the excellent 2016 vintage. Amarone’s 2016s are just being released into the market now, and the vintage has already garnered serious praise. In addition to a 94-point score from The Wine Advocate, this harvest also received 92 Wine Enthusiast points and 5 stars via Terroir Amarone.

After three years in French oak and a year-long slumber in bottle, this opulent Amarone is already delicious and has a long life ahead of it. But we have very few bottles left to share – hurry.