Cesari, 80 years of growth

by Chiara Giannotti 01/26/17 |

Franco Cesari’s eyes may be small but they’re extremely sharp and while he may be small and appear calm he is full of energy and spunk. When he showed me his cellar, he and it had had just turned 80, both being born in 1936 on the western bank of Lake Garda, where Chiaretto and Gropello are produced. Franco became involved with the world of wine gradually before, still young, he took over the family business from his father Gerardo. And it was Franco who - with passion, tenacity and foresight – became one of the first to make Amarone known in the world, starting in England to then reach the much sought for American market, where it grew in popularity during the 1970s with great results thanks to a legion of fans who ensured its success.

The winery today has its headquarters in Cavaion Veronese where it processes grapes from over 100 hectares of vineyards spread out between Valpolicella and Lugana and subdivided into four Cru: Bosan, Bosco, Jéma and Centofiliari. A new era was ushered in three years ago when Caviro bought into the enterprise.

But it is still Franco who is calling the shots and for his recent and important milestone birthday a limited edition wine was produced. Only 1,000 bottles were made and he signed the label which was a version in negative, in other words with a white background, of the original one for the Riserva di Amarone Bosan.

This is the estate’s showcase wine and is a blend of 80% Corvina and 20% Rondinella, produced under the supervision of the winery’s enologist Luigi Biemmi. The wine is only available except as part of a six-bottle case of Amarone Bosan but I has the pleasure of sampling it during a recent vertical tasting.

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Bosan 2007 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Riserva	Cesari	01/26/17	Chiara Giannotti	The cool year warranted a calibrated and recognizable use of wood different from other vintages. Here it is the fruit that stands out with distinct notes of currant and black cherry in a bouquet that... Leggi tutto
Bosan 2006 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Riserva	Cesari	01/26/17	Chiara Giannotti	This was not a great year for Valpolicella and produced a wine with scents of ripe fruit and cherries preserved in alcohol that return in the mouthfeel where the acidity it nicely taut even if not... Leggi tutto
Bosan 2005 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Riserva	Cesari	01/26/17	Chiara Giannotti	Notes of red fruit are evident in the aroma blended in with those of violet, coffee and spice. These return in the mouthfeel which is full-bodied with a nice balance between the freshness and... Leggi tutto
Bosan 2004 Amarone della Valpolicella	Cesari	01/26/17	Chiara Giannotti	Here the wood is more evident both to the nose and mouth, where the tannins are more evident than in other vintages. This vintage preceded a change at the winery which resulted in significant... Leggi tutto
Bosan 2003 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Riserva	Cesari	01/26/17	Chiara Giannotti	This was a notoriously hot year and the vintage was going to be skipped, as occurred in 2002 and 1991. Nevertheless, the wine was produced and the result was a vintage that was more tired than the... Leggi tutto
Bosan 2000 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Riserva	Cesari	01/26/17	Chiara Giannotti	In this wine the toasted sensations and vanilla spice from the wood was more evident, while the color, too, betrayed that fact that this was a tired wine, not as clean as the others, with the fruit... Leggi tutto
Bosan 1997 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Riserva	Cesari	01/26/17	Chiara Giannotti	This was the first vintage of Bosan but it is still wonderfully fresh and pleasing both to the nose - which has notes of black cherry, coffee and chocolate – and palate. And the color, too, is... Leggi tutto