CHARACTERISTICS OF THE WINE
Colour: deep ruby red with a garnet red hue
Fragrance: an intense fragrance of liquored black cherries, sweet-meats, and various spices
Flavour: a full-flavored, well-bodied taste
Serving Temperature: 18°-20°C
Best coupled with roasts, barbequed meats, game meat, cheeses, heavy pasta dishes, and spicy foods.
“Amarone” intense garnet red colour with powerful aromas, full-bodied, dry and harmonious. Aged in oak barrels for 24 months.
Serve at 18-20° C and open at least 1 hour before pouring.
LCOHOL CONTENT: 16,5 % Vol.
AVAILABLE FORMAT: It. 0,75
Grapes Used: Corvina (75%), Rondinella (20%), Molinara (5%)
Cultivation: The vines are grown at a density of about 3000 plants per hectare.
Yield per hectare: yields 70 quintals of grapes per hectare making about 25 hl of wine
Age and conditions of the grape-gathering: grapes are selected directly from the plants and dried on a grill on wooden floors in a well-ventilated space until the end of January.
Wine-making Process: the grape is pressed and thinned out in the first days of January. The wine-making fermentation takes place in stainless steel tank for a medium to long time (30 to 40 days) at a controlled temperature of 15° to 20°C. Following this, there is a remaining coat of must on the skin of the grapes for a few days in order to optimize the extraction of the polyphony substances
Refinement: 24 months in Oak barrels and 6 months in the bottle.
Preservation: 6 to 8 years.
VINIFICATION
The grapes are hand picked, crushed, and fermented, thus, preserving its fresh and young character. The grapes then undergo a cold pre-fermentation for approximately five days; total contact with the skins is maintained for about 20 days. By the time the skins are drawn off, the highly aromatic wine has obtained excellent color and structure. It is placed in cold storage for four months before undergoing the “ripasso” process, which entails fermenting the wine on Amarone must for a period of 20 days, resulting in increased color, aroma, body, and fruit flavor.
Once the wine is prepared for aging, it matures for 18 months in casks and barrels, which adds complexity, structure and refinement. Afterwards it undergoes an additional month in the bottle before release.
The wine is made in the Ripasso style where the wine is fermented with the leftover dried grape skins from the production of Amarone. It is then aged for 8 months in oak barriques and has 9.8 g/L of residual sugar.
Valpolicella Ripasso Superiore begins with a pleasing aroma of blackberry, plum, and spice with a bit of a raisiny note and a touch of vanilla. Tasting reveals a medium-bodied, smooth, and easy to drink wine that went wonderfully with our meat lovers pizza. A round mouthfeel, sweet red fruit tinged with spice and soft tannins lead into the dry, lingering finish.
As mentioned above, this wine is made in the Ripasso style, a process that has become quite popular in Valpolicella wines.
Typically grapes are dried for many weeks allowing the sugars to concentrate and become more powerful. These dried grapes are used to make Amarone wines but then the leftover grape pomace is effectively recycled by re-fermenting it with standard Valpolicella wine.
The goal is to add depth and complexity to a wine that is normally quite light-bodied (think Beaujolais Nouveau). To get the Superiore designation like today’s wine, the wine must also be aged at least one year.
COLOR
Intense ruby brightened by purple reflections
BOUQUET
Ample and remarkably complex with vinous tones; well-defined scents of cherries, mature plum, fig with notes of violet and dried tobacco against a tenuous background of dark chocolate
PALATE
Dry on the palate with a fine and harmonious balance, great strength, and a sturdy body; reveals stewed wild berries, smoking tobacco, and exotic spices, leads to plush and moderate tannins; demonstrates persistence and complexity on the palate
FOOD PAIRINGS
Perfect match for roasted meats and pasta with garlic sauce
SERVING TEMPERATURE
61°F – 64°F
ALCOHOL LEVEL
14%
BOTTLE SIZE
750 mL
