The oldest part of Guerrieri Rizzardi exists in Bardolino where the Rambaldi family (ancestors of the Guerrieri) developed an estate in the 15th century. Close by and a century later in Negrar di Valpolicella the Rizzardi family bought the estate of Pojega. These two families were later joined by marriage almost three centuries later.

Today, Guerrieri Rizzardi has reached the next generation with Giuseppe, Olimpia and Agostino Rizzardi. Inheriting a great passion for wine and love for the territory, with them the new eco winery was completed on the hills of Bardolino in 2011; it is the company’s headquarters, a perfect fusion between ancient and modern. In 2014 the Amarone Calcarole became the first wine from the region ever to be awarded Red Wine of the Year by Gambero Rosso.

Single vineyard CALCAROLE Amarone Riserva is only produced in the best vintages and in limited quantities.

Calcarole is a terraced vineyard (marogne) up to 230 m above sea level, in the heart of Negrar in the Valpolicella Classico area. It is a location with a particularly warm micro climate, calcareous soil and beneficial south west exposure.

Sourced from mature vines, with a natural low production, the grapes are harvested by hand when they are at the ideal ripeness to undergo the drying process in the nearby Pojega cellar. The hand selected grapes are naturally dried for a few months in boxes and then fermented before the wine undergoes a long maturation in oak barrels.

Ageing potential: over 10 years.

Tasting Notes: Elegant in style Calcarole is an Amarone balancing power and concentration against freshness and purity of intense fruit. The 2016 is already inviting and drinking nicely but with layers and
depth this will develop for years, a top vintage for Calcarole. (tasted 01/03/2022 DS)

Food: Roast venison or duck, richer vegetarian dishes, beef stroganoff. Aged Grana Padano
or Monte Veronese or Pienza pecorino.

Best to Drink: 2022 – 2028+ 

Vineyard: Single vineyard Calcarole where the vines grow on a steep, rocky, terraced hillside with ideal
south/south-west exposure. 

Soil: Clay-sandy soil, high limestone content in 50 cm over a limestone bedrock 

Vine Age: From 6 to 24 years

Harvest: Hand selection in the vineyard of the more mature and loose bunches. 

Winemaking: Made from 100% dried grapes, that have been raisined in the drying rooms for 3 months. The grapes were crushed on 30.11.2016 then followed a long slow fermentation of one month (10°C to 26°C) in stainless steel vats followed by malolactic fermentation in oak barrels.

Maturation: 12 months in barriques (225l) oak barrels then 24 months in 2500 litre oak barrels.

First Bottled: November 2nd 2021 then bottle aged 9+ months.

ABV: 17.39% 
Total Acidity: 6.55 g/l
pH: 3.48
Residual Sugar: 6.4 g/l

Press: 96 points  VINOUS December 2023 5 Grappoli  BIBENDA 2023 edition
93 points Tre Stelle  VERONELLI 2023 Due Bicchieri Rossi  GAMBERO ROSSO 2023
Gold Medal  MERANO WINE AWARDS 2022 4 **** VINBUONI D’ITALIA 2023
4 Vitae  VITAE AIS Wine Guide 2023

ECO-FRIENDLY
GREEN WINERY
In 2011 the new winery just outside the town of Bardolino was completed. The winery was designed to be energy self-sufficient with its solar panels (2000 m²) providing more energy than is actually used. Other choices: outdoor fermentation tanks for red wines (using the sun’s energy to reach fermentation temperature), a gravity system to bring the juice (must) from the receiver to the fermentation tanks, the water used in production in from our own well, all have their green benefits.

IN THE VINEYARDS
We are committed to limiting the amount of artificial pest and weed control products used in the vineyards, for this purpose we intentionally planted on the edges of the vineyards shrubs and trees deliberately chosen to attract beneficial insects (able to keep pests under control).
The latest project was to seed in between the rows of vines, plants such as pea, vetch and clovers which when mowed in the summer act as natural fertilizers. In addition, in some vineyards, we opt for mechanical weeding, as shown here in the vineyard to the right. In 2016 we purchased a 4 hectare, organically certified vineyard on the hillside of Rocca del Garda.

PACKAGING/RECYCLED
We opt to use light weight glass bottles for almost all of our wines and everything that is used daily in the winery for production purposes is recycled. Recycling ranges from the glass and corks of the bottles used for tasting to the paper in the office to the cardboard/plastic wrapping of all dry goods.