The Wine:

Selezione Antonio Castagnedi is a lighter more vibrant style than the many of the usual Amarone’ available on the market. Its grapes are dried for less time (approximately 2.5 months) leaving the grapes with a bit more liquid allowing the resulting wine to be lighter & more elegant in style while still presenting the characteristic flavour profile of Amarone.
Ruby red with purple reflections. The aroma profile contains ripe red fruit, spicy aromas of liquorice, black pepper & hints of chocolate. On the palate the flavours are well balanced with the fat tannins giving an overall soft, warm, savoury & elegant finish.

Further Info:

Tenuta Sant’Antonio was founded in 1989 by four brothers: Armando, Tiziano, Paulo & Massimo Castagnedi. The brothers’ father, Antonio, who the company is named after, was himself a winegrower who supplied various well-established companies in the region with high-quality Garganega grapes for Soave & it was in his vineyards, whilst the four brothers were growing up, that they decided to create their own company as opposed to following suit by growing grapes for others.

Prior to being gifted their father’s vineyards the four brothers were asked to prove themselves & did so by initially purchasing a derelict, low-yielding, 30 hectare vineyard in 1989. While many other potential buyers believed that this vineyard, Monti Garbi, located in the hills overlooking the Illasi Valley, was incapable of producing good wine, the brothers turned around the fortunes of this vineyard. Today, with the inclusion of their father’s vineyard, the four brothers have developed their business to an estate-focused, 100 hectare operation with vineyards in the Illasi & Mezzane valleys.

Their hillside vineyards average an altitude of 350 meters, with meticulous attention given to vine density, hand-harvesting & management of low yields to provide fruit of exceptional quality. This commitment, combined with their extensive estate vineyard holdings, not only resulted in Tenuta Sant’Antonio becoming recognised as one of the finest wine producers in Valpolicella, but also in an invitation to become one of the 13 families of Amarone.

Each brother plays a prominent role in the company: Armando is charged with export, Tiziano with domestic sales, Paulo is the winemaker & Massimo is the vineyard & production manager. Today, Tenuta Sant’Antonio is positioned as a highly awarded producer of Soave, Valpolicella & Amarone, with their Cru Campo dei Gigli wine being named as one of Decanter’s 75 Most Exciting Wines of 2017.