FASOLI GINO ALTEO AMARONE DELLA VALPOLICELLA 2011. Traditional styles are earthy with leather and high acidity. Modern styles have dark, polished fruit, lower acidity and more weight. Fasoli Gino’s Alteo has a foot in both worlds. The nose unloads its gaudy, scented merchandise, a heady mélange of dried and fresh fig, dark cherry liqueur, a complex spice box of clove and allspice, vanilla, freshly turned earth, and a lovely, background smoky note. The palate opens with massive, fresh juice, soft and lush, a dark tranquility, only to explode midpalate with a sharp upward trajectory of firm acidity that keeps the focus on top notes. Elegant, refined tannins provide an anchor on the long finish of dried fruit and licorice but never quite reign in the breathtaking exuberance. Despite the high alcohol, there is no trace of bitterness or heat.