Masi Contasera Lunar Amarone Della Valpolicella Classico DOCG 2019 - Chinese New Year 2025 Limited Edition Gift Boxed

Gift-boxed premium 2025 Chinese New Year Collectors edition of Masi Contasera Lunar Amarone Della Valpolicella Classico DOCG.

2025 marks the Chinese lunar calendar entry into the Year of the Snake. For this occasion, Masi presents the new label Costasera Lunar New Year of the Snake, a limited edition of the iconic Amarone Classico Costasera. The snake has always called for wisdom and elegance. Always keeping away from superficiality, he likes to go deep to grasp the essence of things. These qualities are also present in the Amarone, a complex and elegant wine that promotes meditation and away from frivolity.

Famous as a “wine for meditation,” this is a complex and elegant Amarone.

91/100 CellarTracker
94/100 Falstaff (2018 vintage)
93/100 Vinous (2018 vintage)
93/100 James Suckling (2018 vintage)
92/100 Andreas Larsson - Tasted (2018 vintage)
91/100 Wine Spectator (2018 vintage)
91/100 Decanter (2018 vintage)
90/100 Bacchus Magazine (2018 vintage)

Bronze - Decanter World Wine Awards
Silver - The TEXSOM International Wine Awards (2018 vintage)
Bronze - Korea Wine Challenge (2018 vintage)

Falstaff "Brilliant ruby with garnet highlights. Complex bouquet with aromas of flint, dried fruit, juniper berries, and fine wood spice. Opulent and powerful on the palate, delicately fruity and bitter, fine, tight-knit tannins, round, with a very long finish." (2018 vintage)

Andreas Larsson - Tasted "The nose reveals aromas of sweet cherry, dried fruit, spices and tobacco. The mouth is rich and full of sweet fruit, but the wine remains dry on the palate. A light touch of vanilla precedes a full, persistent finish. This is a wine I particularly like." (2018 vintage)

Bacchus Magazine "Amarones are uniquely styled wines of incredible richness, which, when well-made, provide an intense tasting experience. Masi has mastered the production of Amarone, so it’s no wonder that this Costasera vintage is so enchanting and voluptuous." (2018 vintage)

Winemaker "Proud, majestic, complex and exuberant: this is Masi's gentle giant. A benchmark for the Amarone category, which, together with Barolo and Brunello, makes up the aristocracy of the Italian wine world. The product of Masi's unrivalled expertise in the appassimento technique, whereby traditional grapes for the Valpolicella Classica area - Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara - are laid out on bamboo racks to concentrate their aromas during the winter months."

It is an excellent partner to red meat, boiled meat, flavoursome risottos and hardcheeses. Perfect also as a "conversation wine". Recommended drinking temperature 18-20°C.

An iconic producer of Amarone, Cesari was founded in 1936 by Gerardo Cesari who set out to produce an Amarone capable of competing with the great red wines of the world. As one of the first Italian wines to be exported to all five continents, the Cesari name became synonymous with Amarone. In recent years, Cesari has adopted environmentally sustainable growing practices. Most of its vineyards are planted with indigenous varietals, with a small percentage of international grapes, carefully harvested by hand.

Amarone della Valpolicella Classico wines are rich, red amarone wines from the traditional Classico viticultural zone of Valpolicella in Veneto, north-eastern Italy. As is the case outside the Classico boundaries, the principal grape variety is Corvina, backed up mainly by Corvinone, Rondinella and Oseleta.

All Amarone wines are made using the appassimento technique. Grapes are partially dried, gently pressed and slowly fermented. They must spend at least two years maturing in wood.

Amarone wines from the Classico zone tend to be the most elegant and aromatic. Those from Valpantena are generally lighter and fruitier. Bottlings from the extended Valpolicella region tend to be fuller bodied and more aromatic.

The popularity of Amarone has led to much greater production of the style across the wider Valpolicella region. This has created some variation in quality levels of Amarone wines.

Though great examples are made in other Valpolicella zones (Romano dal Forno to name but one), this has led to renewed emphasis on Amarone della Valpolicella Classico. Some of the stellar producers within the zone include Quintarelli, Allegrini and Masi. The finest Classico vineyards are found around Fumane, Marano, Negar and Sant'Ambroglio. The wines originating here rank among the best in Italy.

The AMARONE DELLA VALPOLICELLA DOCG CLASSICO is produced in the boroughs of Negrar, Marano di Valpolicella, Sant'Ambrogio, Fumane, San Pietro in Cariano (the historic area of Valpolicella Classico production). The drying on racks of the Corvina, Rondinella and Negrara grapes until mid January and the ageing in large oak barrels and barriques, together with the long period of rest in bottles, allow us to enjoy this great wine. Suitable with red meat, game and also as a dinner closing wine.

Denominazione di origine controllata e garantita (DOCG) is intended to be a superior classification to DOC, and is the highest classification in Italy. All DOCG wines from each producer are analysed and tasted by government–licensed judgement panel before being bottled. Once approved, the wines are “guaranteed” with a numbered governmental seal across the cap or cork, to prevent later manipulation. Where the DOCG classification represents a refinement of an existing DOC wine, the rules for the DOCG wine usually require more stringent quality controls. These controls are usually some combination of a lower proportion of blending grapes, lower yields, higher minimum alcohol, longer ageing requirements et cetra.