Lots going on right from the nose, which features black plums, raisins, black mushrooms, white pepper, earth, smoke, vanilla, leather, meaty notes and a savoury undertone.

On the palate, off-dry but held nicely with acid and alcohol. All those stewed black fruits and raisins are front and centre as you'd expect, with a savoury finish that goes on for a long time.

Beautifully balanced, while drinking well now, this will definitely age further.

Tasted October 2016.

Always a good value Amarone from Masi, the general listings Costasera delivers again with the 2011 vintage. It's still quite young though for an Amarone, but there's the rich, deep, concentrated smoothness one expects. Fig, prunes, smoke and tobacco. I picked up a funky element that seemed to hover between adding complexity and being a bit of a distraction. This may integrate with time in the bottle, something that this Costasera still needs. Should go on sale in December so keep an eye out. Tasted Nov. 2016.