2011 Brigaldara Amarone della Valpolicella Classico

Description

“Brigaldara holds the Valpolicella banner high and makes some of the best Amarone available today “- Monica Larner, Parker’s Wine Advocate

The Cesari family originated in Tuscany (Viareggio) when Renzo Cesari (Antonio’s great grandather) married a woman from Verona and he moved North in the mid 1920’s. The original house where the Cesari family still lives and is the winery of Brigaldara was bought by Renzo in 1929. The house also included a farm that surrounded it where some grapes and other produuce were grown but it was just for a hobby. Mostly just Recioto was produced from them in those days.

The “hobby” carried on from Renzo to Lamberto Cesari through the 1960s and into the 1970s. As the 1970s came to a close, Stefano Cesari (Antonio’s father) began bottling under the name Brigaldara and starting to export. Through the 1980s, the Cesari family began to plant further vineyards and expand their production. Stefano Cesari took on the role of president of the Valpolicella Consorzio through the 1980s and into the 1990s, of which the main goal was to improve quality and image of the denomination.

Today, Stefano is still active as co-winemaker and Vice President of the “Amarone Families” a group of 13 estate grown, estate bottled family wineries who are dedicated to the quality and standards of making Amarone in the traditional way and not cheapening what the genre Amarone is and should be. They push for stricter control on labeling, and quality, and aging restrictions. They have now done about ten events around the world.

The next generation, Antonio Cesari, Stefano’s son is now working for the winery and traveling around the world to present the wines of Brigaldara. In addition to him carrying on his families’ legacy and learning winemaking he is now also President of the Young Farmer’s Association.

Brigaldara is located in the heart of the Amarone Classico Zone in the commune of San Pietro in Cariano, town of San Floriano.