• Contact: Paolo Zardini
• Where: San Floriano (see map below)
• Website: www.chevalier.it
• N. bottles produced / year: 20,000
• Vineyards: 10 ha. (24.7 acres)
• Farming: organic
• Rooms or B&B: no

Story

"My winery is my passion and my life" says Paolo Zardini, who is been working in the wine world since 1985; the name of his winery reveals its ancient French origin. 

People

As said, Paolo is doing all the work by himself. Being a quite rigorous wine producer, his biggest concern is the environment; this the main reason why his small winery is organic. Besides the wine, Tenuta Chevalier also produces olive oil and honey.

Vineyards

Tenuta Chevalier owns 10 ha (24.7 acres) in the hearth of Valpolicella Classica: the Roccolo cru, South-East of Negrar, and in upper Valgatara, Marano valley. The grapes are the traditional Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella, Molinara, Oseleta. The altitude is 270-320 m/asl, the exposure is East-West and the soil has a high concentration of marble-lime, clay, and tufaceous layers. The agronomic work is strictly organic: "The vine is a plant strong enough to attack the pathogen population, especially if grown in suitable areas - says Paolo Zardini. "The farmer should 'only' observe the development of vegetation, and take care to some critical moments of the year, when the vineyard might be more susceptible to attack by pathogens". That's why this winery is adopting the method of mating disruption for the fight against the vine moth, and copper and sulfur against mildew and powdery mildew. 

Winemaking

Every operation occurs in the small winery, that has works in progress (restructuring) at the moment; the aging of the wines takes place in big oak barrels.

• Grape selection table: no
• Fluids processed by gravity: no
• Drying process: in house
• Type of drying process: only fans and windows
• Bottling: in the winery

Wines

Each of the following wines are harvested manually, and made with the grapes of his own vineyards

• Valpolicella Classico DOC
• Valpolicella Classico Superiore DOC
• Valpolicella Ripasso DOC
• Amarone della Valpolicella Classico DOCG
• Recioto della Valpolicella Classico DOCG
• Rosso Verona IGT "Rocchetto"
• Bianco Verona Passito IGT

• Stock of old vintages: no
• Selling of old vintages: no

The wines we reviewed

The wines

• Valpolicella Classico Superiore 2011
• Amarone della Valpolicella Classico DOCG 2006

will be at the Terroir Amarone "Rare and Unusual Masterclass: Amarone and Valpolicella Superiore" - Montreux, Switzerland Hotel Suisse Majestic October 30, 2014, hosted by the Digital Wine Communications Conference.