On the nose, this wine reveals distinct notes of berries, aromatic herbs, spices and vanilla. The textured palate is underpinned by sweet, polished tannins that linger on the long and intriguing finish.

The Allegrini family estate covers 120 hectares of vineyard in the heart of Valpolicella Classico. Although they have been growing grapes here for several centuries, Giovanni Allegrini was the first to start bottling wines from the family’s vineyards. When he died in 1983, he passed a passion for and a commitment to quality wine onto his three children – Walter, Marilisa and Franco. They worked together to build on Giovanni’s quality ethos until Walter’s death in 2003. Franco looked after the vineyards and the winemaking while Marilisa has always been in charge of sales and marketing. From the 2007 vintage, Franco sacrificed the Classico status of the Valpolicella and bottled the wine under Stelvin to eliminate cork taint and random oxidation problems as much as possible. Franco sadly died in 2022. He led the way in Valpolicella’s quest for quality, forging a path that many others have followed.

After years looking closely at the Lugana area, Allegrini purchased 40 hectares of land in the municipality of Pozzolengo (in the province of Brescia) in 2018 and created a Lugana with a lively acidity to balance the natural richness of Turbiana. The result is a stylish and elegant wine showing the typical floral aromas with hints of almonds. The Valpolicella has a lovely intensity of red cherry fruit, lifted perfumes and a ripe yet zesty character on the palate. ‘La Grola’, sleek and beguiling, sets the standard by which all other wines from Valpolicella are judged. The ‘Palazzo della Torre’, a ‘baby Amarone’ produced by Allegrini’s unique approach to the ripasso method, is plush and rounded. Their Amarone is outstanding, intense yet balanced.

Palazzo della Torre covers 26 hectares of east-facing vineyards planted between 1962 and 1989, situated at an average altitude of 240 metres above sea level. Vines are trained using the Guyot system and planted at a density of 3,000 vines per hectare. The entire area is terraced by traditional dry-stone walling called ‘marogne’ in local dialect, a highly characteristic example of rural architecture. The subsoil is primarily composed of marly limestone that encourages the concentration of sugars in the grapes while maintaining a good degree of acidity.

The 2021 vintage was marked by cool temperatures with a significant drop during April. These conditions led to a delay in budburst. As a result, the vegetative development of the vines consequently moved forward by 15-20 days compared to the previous year. In mid-September, some ‘providential’ rainfall was followed by a short summer, where temperature soared to 34-35°C and temperature variations of around 15°C. By harvest, the grapes had attained excellent phenolic ripeness, with crunchy berry flavours and elevated sugar concentrations. The loose (non-compact) bunches are particularly suitable for drying and were a factor that characterised this particular harvest.

Allegrini uses the modern version of the traditional 'ripasso' technique for Palazzo della Torre, drying a proportion of the grapes in the 'Terre di Fumane' drying centre to intensify the character of this vineyard. The fresh grapes were destemmed and pressed immediately after harvest while the dried grapes underwent the same process in the second half of December. Fermentation took place in temperature controlled stainless-steel tanks in 2 stages: the first at controlled temperatures of between 25 and 29°C for 10 days, the second at temperatures ranging from 8 to 10°C for 15 days. The wine was then aged in second use barriques for 15 months before being blended and bottled.