91 Wine Spectator

"Pretty blueberry and cherry aromas on the nose, with lovely intensity. Full-bodied, round and juicy, with loads of fruit and a soft, caressing palate. Long finish. So good now. Drink now through 2018. 35,000 cases made" -91 Points - Wine Spectator

"The 2006 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Costasera is a beautiful version of this wine. The medium-bodied 2006 Costasera offers up an attractive array of ripe red cherries, flowers, spices and sweet herbs, with lovely balance and tons of polish. Tar, smoke and licorice linger on the close. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2018. This is one of the strongest groups of wines I have tasted from Masi - a historic, reference-point producer in these parts - in some time." -90 Points - Antonio Galloni

WINEMAKING:
From Masi’s hillside vineyards on west and south-west facing slopes in the historic Valpolicella Classico communes of Marano, Negrar, S.Ambrogio and San Pietro in Cariano. The soil is crumbly red calcareous (limestone) with cretaceous period marl."

"Amarone is the product of the wine-making method well known to the Romans called "appassimento" (grape drying). At the end of September or the beginning of October, the best clusters of grapes from hillside vineyards are picked and laid out on bamboo racks in special lofts equipped with the NASA “natural appassimento” control system. At the end of January the grapes weigh 35% less and have concentrated sugars. This time only the Corvina grapes were naturally attacked by noble rot."

"The processes that follow are: soft pressing; partial destalking; 45 days fermentation in large Slavonian oak barrels or stainless steel vats at low, natural temperatures; transfer into barrels of 30-40 hl where the alcoholic fermentation continues for 35 days in the presence of selected alcohol resistant yeasts; malolactic fermentation. Ageing 24 months with 80% aged in Slavonian oak barrels of 40-80 hl and 20% in small Allier and Slavonian oak barrels (40% new, 30% second usage, 30% third usage). The wine is then bottle-aged for a minimum of 4 months." -Winemaker