95 hectares of top vineyards in Lugana and Valpolicella’s “classic zone.” Two faces: One white, the other red, both emblems of high-quality wines that are born through a visceral passion for the land, through respect for time, through a family tradition that has championed local grape varieties for more than 60 years.
1960 – San Benedetto di Lugana. It’s here that the heart of Sergio Zenato started to beat. His story is made of passion and hard work; a deep connection to his land and his people; entrepreneurial ability and openness to innovation and new vinification techniques and investment in native grape varieties.
A story that stretches from the banks of Lake Garda to the hills of nearby Valpolicella where the estate’s reds are born from sunny vineyards of Corvina and Rondinella in Costalunga in Sant’Ambrogio commune.
Today Zenato's vineyards cover 95 hectares on the S. Cristina estate in San Benedetto di Lugana, devoted to Trebbiano di Lugana, and on the Costalunga estate in Valpolicella, home of Zenato's famous Amarone, which is home to the renowned Corvina, Rondinella and Oseleta grape varieties. Finally, in Tuscany on a small 3.8-hectare estate, Zenato's personal interpretation of the famous Bolgheri DOC is made from Cabernet and Merlot grape varieties.
“Sergio Zenato manicured the morainic hills for years, from the most strategic observation point on Lake Garda in Peschiera. His reflection was cast over the largest body of blue in Italy. And since the 1960s, he saw in Trebbiano di Lugana something that few others had intuited: that the color, aromas, and favors of the white wine it produced could travel the world.”
In the flash of an eye and the wonder of Lake Garda is all there: in the beauty of the landscape; in the naturalist, historic, and artistic value of the land; in the mild climate. The secret of Trebbiano di Lugana, a native grape variety planted on the southern banks of Lake Garda, is hidden in its origins.
With the backdrop of this pristine setting, the gates of the Santa Cristina estate open up on to a broad road with elegant red rose bushes on either side. They are the silent sentinels to whom the Zenato family has entrusted their rows of vines.
All of the incredible things that have happened in this little corner of the world are thanks to the extraordinary intuition and entrepreneurial power of a grape grower who was in love with his land and absolutely convinced of the quality of the wines that only this land could produce. It all began with a white wine, Lugana: Sergio Zenato’s Challenge and Dream since the 1960s.
Ruby red in color, this Amarone Riserva offers dense and smokey aromas of dark cherries, raisins, chocolate, and anise, framed by fruity tannins and a spicy finish. With the level of complexity and balance that this wine shows, it will evolve beautifully for 10+ years.
Review:
Dense garnet, with a nose of walnut husks, toasted black pepper, sour cherries and ash. Smooth and soft on the palate, with a full body and ripe, silky tannins balanced by zesty acidity. Lovely fruit with an extremely long, nutty aftertaste.
-James Suckling 95 Points
The wine’s aromas and flavors are akin to red and black cherry, briary wild berries, pomegranate, dried rose, pepper and licorice. Significant umami notes develop with time, and it offers a chewy core of fruit on a lovely expanding palate. Despite its obvious richness, there’s polish and definition to the flavors and structure. The wine turns spicy and savory on its long finish. Drink between late-2024 and 2032.
We’ve produced Ryan Pinot Noir since 2002, and it has always focused upon the mature dry-farmed Dutton-Widdoes Vineyard, deep in the heart of Green Valley. Widdoes produces a wild berry, truffley style of rich, dark Pinot that offers substantial hidden complexity which is revealed over time. In recent years we’ve balanced this power style with a block of vibrant, elegant, and red-fruited Pinot from Dutton-Jentoft, located at higher elevation closer to the coast. Both vineyards are sensitively farmed by our long-time partners, the multi-generational Dutton Family. Traditionally our most fruit-filled and approachable Pinot bottling, history shows that the wine ages gracefully for a decade-plus, revealing all its quintessential Green Valley Pinot beauty as it develops in bottle.
Review:
From the oldest vines of the estate, the 2022 Pinot Noir DuMOL Ryan is fantastic on the nose, with notes of fresh leather, Asian spices, sandalwood, and fresh cherries. The palate is vibrant and salty with green valley character, revealing finely coiled tannins, mouthwatering acidity, a saline mineral flourish, and a long finish. This one of the most compelling wines in the vintage for me, and it’s going to age gracefully over the next 15-20 years.
-Jeb Dunnuck 98 Points
Yalumba The Steeple Shiraz is made from 100 percent Shiraz.
The nose is immersed in blueberries and plums leading into very inviting red spices, cranberries and pomegranate. Medium to full-bodied, it is generous with plump fruits and dark cherries. Textural, intriguing and velvety smooth.
Review:
This reminds us of the classic Australian reds of the 1950s and 1960s. Very deep and rich, yet so vibrant and youthful, this has fresh-herb and savory complexity alongside the black-fruit aromas. Great muscular tannins on the powerful palate give it wonderful vitality and clarity. Just a touch of eucalyptus. Very long finish with a wonderfully velvety texture. From vines planted in 1919. Excellent aging potential.
-James Suckling 97 Points