To most people, the name Valpolicella conjures up images of thin, bitter, acidic plonkish reds, and it wouldn't be entirely unfair to say that's what most of it is like. But not all. Some conscientious producers, such as Allegrini, make fascinating, delicious wines. And overall, I was delighted this excellent range from one of the leading lights of Valpolicella. The 1999 Classico is delicious and forward, and La Grola 1997 is a fine drop, but the three stand-outs were La Poja 1996 (a blockbuster, bursting with flavour), the Amarone Classico (fascinating, exotic wine) and the Recioto (a concentrated, characterful sweet red wine). I'm not sure of the availability or prices of these wines on the UK market, but they're definitely worth seeking out.

Valpolicella Classico 1999 DOC
60% Corvina Veronese, 35% Rondinella, 5% Molinara. Yield 69 hl/ha from pergola-trained vines. Deep red/purple colour, with a herby, leafy nose. Full, tannic and attractive palate with bitter red fruits -- a lovely, appealing wine for drinking young. Very good+

Palazzo Della Torre 1997 Veronese IGT
70% Corvina, 25% Rondinella, 5% Sangiovese. Yield 64 hl/ha from pergola-trained vines. 70% of the grapes are vinified immediately; 30% are left to dry until the end of December and are then refermented with the wine from the fresh grapes. Deep purple/red, with a cherry and herb nose. Full, rounded and balanced palate, with savoury cherry fruit. Smooth and deep. Very good.

La Grola 1997 Veronese IGT
70% Corvina, 15% Rondinella, 10% Syrah, 5% Sangiovese. Double Guyot trained vines of average age 18 years; grapes hand harvested; yield 55 hl/ha. Showing impressive concentration, this has nice bitter red fruits on the nose, with some sweet herbs. Bold, strong palate of herbs, cherries and some wood, with an attractive bitterness. Good balance and some complexity. Very good +

La Poja 1996 Veronese IGT
100% Corvina Veronese from a single vineyard of 2 ha. Double Guyot trained vines, yield of 40 hl/ha. Deep red/black colour. Pungent, spicy nose with complex medicinal notes. Rich, sweet fruit on the palate with firm, dry, spicy tannins. This is a real blockbuster -- utterly delicious. Excellent.

Amarone Della Valpolicella Classico 1996 DOC
75% Corvina, 20% Rondinella, 5% Molinara. Pergola-trained vines, average age 25 years, yield of 37 hl/ha. Grapes dried naturally for 100 days with 45% loss of weight. This is exotic, wild stuff. Lovely, unusual bitter nose, with a bit of volatility. Full flavoured with a lovely sweet/sour palate of cherries, with an attractive bitterness, some tannins and a touch of sweetness. Very good/excellent.

Grovani Allegrini Recioto Della Valpolicella Classico 1997
75% Corvina Veronese, 20% Rondinella, 5% Molinara. Pergola training, average vine age 25 years, 28 hl/ha yields. Natural drying of grapes for 130 days with a loss of 50% loss of the original weight. A delicious red dessert wine. Lovely nose of sweet herbs, bitter cherries and with a touch of caramel. On the palate this is very sweet, but with wonderful exotic flavours and a nice bitterness countering the sweetness. Quite wonderful; gorgeous concentration. Excellent.