Romano Dal Forno, Amarone della Valpolicella other_regions_italy Pol Roger's 2012 Brut Blanc

Pol Roger's 2012 Brut Blanc de Blancs is terrific

It's a little gruff compared to the sleeker incarnation of today's Le Pavillon but nonetheless is very Hermitage

this is an impressive set of wines

exotic spices and dark fruit add to the wine's total allure and seductive power

medicinal herb and crushed mineral

Romano Dal Forno, Amarone della Valpolicella other_regions_italy Pol Roger's 2012 Brut BlancThe 2013 Amarone della Valpolicella Monte Lodoletta is my favorite wine in the retrospective, along with the amazing 2011, 2009 and 1996 vintages. This wine was released at the beginning of this year, and because Dal Forno skipped over the 2014 vintage, this is the only Amarone we will see for a while (until the highly anticipated 2015 is released). The 2013 vintage is characterized by a slightly more streamlined mouthfeel (which isn't saying much