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Valpolicella in 2014

It’s not what you think it is, though I’m not sure what you think it and i’m not sure what the produces think it should be. Here’s what I think it should be. A light wines, something really light, and fresh and pretty but at other times a bit darker, with a lacy tannic appeal and subtle floral, mineral and spicy perfumes that frame a gorgeous core of dark cherry fruit.


it’s a wine that is decidedly at home in the summertime, but adaptable enough to work well in the seasons that bracket summer as well. Particularly well suited to the fall are the richer spicier versions, many of which are made in the ripasso style. Ripasso, repassed, as in over the gross less of Amarone. What is that? Well, in the veneto you can find Valpolicella made in a fresh style, then you can also find Valpolicella’s big brother Amarone. Made from grapes that have been air dried for months, Amarone is a much deeper, richer, and more alcoholic wine than playful Valpolicella.


As with all wine, when Amarone is made into wine it is drawn off it’s solids. Now is the time for ripasso when the fresh, young Valpolicella wine is placed in the barrel with the pressed skins of the Amarone wine.  The valpolicella then rests on those gross less picking up some of Amarone’s intensity and complexity, but also fermenting again adding a bit more alcohol to the finished wine.


Ripasso is what many people think of when they think of Valpolicella, and many producers certainly think quite highly of it. Thinking that it make for a better wine, and at bare minimum a wine that is more competitive on a global stage. If similarity breeds competition then that might be true, but precisely because of Valpolicella’s shortcomings, the light body, lower alcohol, and simple freshness I tend to prefer these wines to Ripasso style bottlings.


it’s a personal thing. I know folks who can’t think of Valpolicella as a serious wine unless it’s Ripasso. That’s a shame. Even the most serious among us have their playful moments, at that is what i turn to Valpolicella for. It’s a terrific wine with pasta of course, I particularly like it with baked pasta dishes, but the lighter style and lower alcohol also make these wines wonderfully food friendly. Consider a Valpolicella next time you’re serving pork and if there’s a little spice to the dish, some mole sauce for example, even better. You’ll be surprised how well the spicy character of Valpolicella, this light elegant wine, emerges with the right food pairing. And if there’s not enough wine there, well then there can always be a ripasso in your future!









Zenato




2010 Zenato Valpolicella Ripasso Superiore 14% $26


Majority Corvina with 10% Rondinella and 10% Croatina and Osceleta in a typical blend.


18 months  in barrique


Smoky, a bit of awkward oak, needs to integrate on the intense licorice, smoked meat, and black fruit scented nose.  Juicy, big and mouth filling, if a bit edgy on the palate. This has a nice mineral base lurking under masses of dark fruit, jammy blackberry fruit on entry, then a bit denser. This has a nice modest structure and holds its alcohol very well, ending with good juicy length to the black cherry skin on the finish. 89pts


2011 Zenato Valpolicella  Superiore 13.5% $15


Majority Corvina with 10% Rondinella and 10% Sangiovese


A little raw, spicy, and hard on the nose with fresh, crisp fruit. in the mouth this is a bit smoky with bright minerality supporting hints of licorice and burnt brownie. Light and clear on the palate, simple fresh and pure, with a clean fresh finish, there’s a touch of fruit skin tannin here fleshing out lovely black raspberry fruit. 87pts



Tommaso Bussola



2009 Bussola Valpolicella Ripasso Ca del Laito $25



Earthy with a bit of toasty wood early on the nose followed by lots of red fruit and dried leathery black fruit, over a very floral base. Glycerin rich on entry, this is quite round and slippery on entry and decidedly fruity with a nice base of minerality covered with very fresh, black cherries, raspberries. A hint of early bitterness enlivens the palate  which remains a bit on the chewy side. I love the way this wine picks up the spice and dried fruit character of the lees yet remains fresh and lively. 90pts


2008 Bussola Valpolicella Classico Superiore TB $40


Ripasso


Selected musts, then aged in botte of second passage, then in 60hl for one year


Incense, mineral, black fruit skin, greet the nose, full, deep and precise, rich, a bit leathery, deep with fresh red and dried raisin and prune fruits. there’s a hint of wood here and a suggestion of evolution as well. This is superbly aromatic in the mouth, big black fruit on the palate all laced with medicinal, and licorice notes leading to a lovely spice on the backend, and a long savory, mineral and dried fruit finish. Moderately big for a Valpolicella but with such great clarity in the mouth. 92pts



Masi



2012 Masi Valpolicella Bonacosta $15


Slightly carbonic nose, shows mineral, and fruity aromas with with peppery accents. Opening with fine young tannins, this is bright and zesty but rather savory and more herbal than fruity on the palate. Clean and fresh on the finish, a bit raw on the nose, and decidedly chalky and slightly astringent.  83pts


2010 Masi Valpolicella Campofiorin Rosso Veronese $15


Valpolicella Ripasso


A little smoky and earthy on the nose which is curiously a bit nutty as well. Made in a polished, fairly rich style, this features a nice blend of fresh plum and dried cherry fruit that's a bit medicinal and short but smooth as silk with a hint of vanilla over the wild cherry fruit up front, and sneaky length, with flavors of grapes skin and minerals on the crisp little finish. 87pts


Tommasi



2011 Tommasi Valpolicella Classico Superiore Rafael $15


Molinara, corvina, rondinella


Aged 15 months in large format wood


Spicy on the nose, and redolent of small wild flowers wrapped around blue and black fruits. Supple and broad on the palate, this really reaches from side to side of the mouth with attractively aromatic blue floral inner mouth perfumes,  a hint of something candied and minty and then a core of slightly wild plummy, extract of wild cherry fruit. Theres  good focus and nice freshness to the fruit, with a little black spice on the modest finish. This is a crowd pleaser. 87pts


2011 Tommasi Valpolicella Ripasso $23


Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella


Pepper, leather, dried blue flowers, and a hint of grilled meats frame subtle fruit on the nose. With a hint of sweetness on entry, this turns immediately round and generous in the mouth. Silky, though with some weight to the polished black cherry fruit on the palate that shows flashes of mint and spice leading to a lightly spiced, baked cherry and dried plum finish which has notable persistence. 88pts



Speri



2012 Speri Valpolicella Classico $NA


Molinara a gives minerality and freshness



Gorgeous on the nose, all crushed fruit and flowers, and some low minty wild herbs slowly emerging with air.  Delicate, juicy and simply vibrant on the palate with lovely purity to the flavors of crushed cherry fruit framed with violets and dried herb highlIghts ending with a firm, tart lingonberry jam note. Bracing and cleansing, with a fine ash mineral vein that drives through the palate. This is Valpolicella Classico 90pts


2011 Speri La Roverina Valpolicella Classico Superiore $17


10 months in large format wood


Smells less fresh though more complex than the straight valpolicella. The wood here is obvious but well integrated, and tones down the violet aromas, inching the fruit towards black berry with darker cherry shadings. A  touch smoky, light but fairly fullish bodied for a lighter styled wine, there's power here and a little creaminess. The acid is well integrated, and the fruit  slightly jammy and raspberry/strawberry toned in the mouth, laid over a base of tightly packed fine grained wood tannins adding volume and extending the finish. This is nicely fruited, elegant and notably substantial for a Valpolicella. 89pts


2011 Speri Valpolicella Ripasso $25


20 months in botte


Lots of dark dried fruit greets the nose along with a little pencil lead. This is supple in the mouth, rich and soft with lots of creamy edges to the dark cherry fruit. Wood tannins add some spiciness to the palate, and this is very fresh with acid and stony/mineral notes on the finish. Moderately rich and deceptively so with lovely freshness of fruit on the palate, this is all about fresh crushed cherry and violet aromatics on the midpalate along with an edge of autumn spice. The tannins offer mouth grab and spice on the finish which is moderately long, and perfumed. 91pts



2010 Speri Sant'Urbano Valpolicella Classico $32


Appassimento 25 to 35 days

20 months in wood





First the amarone grapes are selected for amarone, then the ones that remain are used for this wine, started with this wine in the 1980s


Lots of oak and chocolate on the nose, smells like a statement wine, meaty, earthy, fine almost sage and paprika notes all cascade across the nose.  On the palate this is elegant, soft and focused, a nice blend of modern and traditional. The acid kicks in the midpalate, then the fruit, and then the oak, everything sort of collapses on one another in the mouth. This certainly doesn't feel like a valpolicella in the mouth. It’s very modern and polished, oak pops up from time to time, early, then later after the fruit then persistent on the finish but never overwhelming the rather clean finish. This needs some time to knit together, though it finishes with a fine blend of lightly dried fruit, mineral driven earth and subtle mocha oak character that is balanced and long, boding well for the future if you appreciate the style. 88pts



Le Ragose



2012 Le Ragose Valpolicella $NA


A bit oily, with dark stemmy aromas on the nose and lots of dried floral and almost autumnal spice notes. Almost sweet on entry, then broad in the mouth with assertive saline minerality to the clear and bright palate which gains firmness from a base of fine grained tannins.  Elegant in the mouth, this has some weight up front but finishes with a touch of austerity and superb clarity to the darker toned raspberry fruit that lingers on the long finish. 89pts


2008  Le Ragose Valpolicella Ripasso $20


Dark cherry fruit greets the nose along with layers of  spicy, earthy, slightly oaky, and decidedly medicinal herbal aromas that have a slight beet root edge to them. Bright acids on entry promise a fresh wie though this immediately reveals a bit of a meaty palate rich with dark cherry fruit, rose petals, and then masses of minerally, roasted meat and beet root flavors on the palate. The tannins poke through on the finish and are a bit dry here, though there is enough bay leaf, mineral, and red fruit flavors to almost keep them covered through the long finish. 89pts



2009 Le Ragose Valpolicella Superiore le Sassine $NA


Spicy on the nose, which is a little leafy, with curranty fruit and some paprika accents. Big and rich with wild raspberry and cherry fruit carrying faint shadings of chocolate on the palate. This is, bitterish, deep but transparent on the palate with fresh tannins, lively acids, fine minerality on the backend good length to the dark cherry rhubarb finish with lingering bitter minerality, but what is most striking is the impressive clarity of fruit on the palate and through the finish. This has focus. 90pts



2009 Le Ragose Valpolicella Superiore Marta Galli $30


Smoky steminess on the nose lends this a Cabernet Franc like perfume laden with a little pyrazine note. Rich and velvety in the mouth, this is a mini Amarone with deep fruit that’s a

little pruny, more prunes in alcohol than dried fruit. This is quite front loaded on the palate, fairly tannic and with a rich vein of herbal extract and Vegemite flavors lending a bitter cast to the core of black cherry fruit. there’s a bit of mintiness here and some drying tannins that clip the finish a bit. A bit of an oddity and while well made outside of what I expect from Valpolicella.  87pts




Tedeschi



2012 Tedeschi Lucchine Valpolicella Classico $15


SS, only wine from the flat vineyard on the plains



Gorgeously  floral on the nose, with a lovely core of crushed blueberry, and wild berry almost black currant aromas. On the palate one finds big acid driven red fruit flavors supported by some nice fine tannins and a bit of minerality all leading to a nice cherry skin finish. Juicy, firm and brightly vivid in the mouth this is all about fresh and lasting fruit. 87pts


2011 Tedeschi Capitel Nicalo Valpolicella Superiore $20


Dried for 25 to 30 days, aged in wood for year


Smoky on the nose with hints of smoldering herbs framing aromas of dark fruit, lots of flinty mineral notes, rosehips, dried fruit and green peppercorn spice. Almost sweet on entry, with a fine base of tannins, this reveals rose petal and slightly plummy fruit on the palate with lots of spice and leafy accents. Smooth and rich with a nice licorice candy base note, some dry tannins ground the finish then bright acids pop up supporting a dark berry,  cherry finale. T%his is complex, supple, fruity and well balanced. A certain winner for a crowd. 89pts


2010 Tedeschi Corasco IGT delle Venezie $20


Appassimento breve


Corvina 75% raboso 5, refosco 20


Lots of tobacco and carob on the nose with plenty of spice notes, green leaf, and green peppercorn. This is very fruity on entry, with lots of strawberry and fine almost blue fruits in an elegant style. The midplate reveals a little plumpness with tons of pure, crushed wild berry fruit, and clean, firm mineral driven flavors through the finish. This has crazy intensity to the violet aromas on the nose and in the mouth where they lend a blue cast to the fruit. tannins turna  touch dusty in the mouth, but this remains fascinating and fairly intense. 90pts


2011 Tedeschi Capitel San Rocco Valpolicella Ripasso $25


Peppery on the nose with precise aromas of black pepper corn, dark fruit, and briar wood, that picks up a little pollen floral tone and some gentle baking spice with air. This is a lovely small wine with a slightly creamy texture that remains quite aromatic in the mouth with a floral extract quality over red fruit flavors. Bright acids and lively tannins lends this great textural complexity, with the slightly stemmy tannins adding savory length to the elegant finish. Clean, dry and absolutely refreshing. 91pts


2011 Tedeschi Valpolicella Superiore Maternigo $35


Chalky and tight on the nose with reticent notes of dried herbs and emerging notes of tobacco, and huge soil tones. This is a big Valpolicella, a little chewy, packed with fruit that retains  a nice edge of bitterness that recalls apple,seeds. Air brings out the violets on the nose, while bright acids add lift to the juicy blueberry, red currant, and strawberry fruits on the palate. Finishing with huge mineral cut and super tannic reverb, this almost has a jammy quality to the fruit but then so much freshness coming from acid and minerality lends this energy and vibrancy in the mouth. The power of Amarone, the vibrancy of Valpolicella. 92pts


2010 Tedeschi Valpolicella Classico Superiore La Fabriseria $35


Some stem inclusion


Stemmy and spicy on the  high toned and complex nose that shows some light medicinal shadings over fine floral accent notes with  a leathery fruit base.  Thick and a bit powerful for Valpolicella, this is built on a hard tannic base, and they are chewy tannins, though paired with fine acids that are covered by the rich fruit. With noticeable stemmy flavors on the palate one finds lots of briar and stem framing the core of tobacco and cherry fruit. This is tannic, and long, but more savory than fruity and while it’s interesting I’m not sure there’s enough fruit here for this to improve much as the tannins subside.  87pts



Bertani



2012 Bertani Valpolicella $14


Slate, iron, floral notes of African violet with those herbal base notes and dried herbs all billow from the glass helping to frame the core of crushed berry fruit here. This also has a slightly astringent edge to it with a hint of mint and white soil tones on the nose. Bright, fresh and transparent in the mouth with attractive clarity and minerality to the slightly black toned, wild blackberry,  strawberry and white cherry fruit. A whisper of tannins drive the persistently mineral and dark cherry fruit on the moderately long finish which shows fine acid lift. This is light and fresh but as is typically the case not a fruity wine. In its style it is excellent. 87pts


2011 Bertani Secco Ripasso $20


Aged in botte of oak and a small part in cherry, Valpantena gives hard,  mineral driven wines,


Floral and mineral on the nose with strong aromas of limestone and mineral water, over underlying spice with hints of violets and some dried cherry fruit. Fresher and lighter on entry than one might expect but this quickly gains focus in the mouth with good acids and austere little tannins adding dryness and depth to the palate. The flavors are subtle, much more mineral, redolent of iron and rust, than fruity though there is fine underlying raspberry and wild cherry fruit here. The finish is all cut and firmness, if a bit on the short side. A very nervy vintage. 87pts


2010 Secco Bertani Original Vintage Edition $30


A copy of the original blend.


Just a bit of Corvinone and other varieties, merlot, osceleta, Sangiovese, first part of fermentation in SS, then once it slows down it finishes in botte cherry and chestnut, instead of finishing in eight days the fermentation lingers for thirty even forty days, the long slow fermentation allows the wine to gain sweetness, not jamminess but gentleness,

aged in botte for about a year


Rose petals and cinnamon greet the nose with some mace and sweet gum aromas laid over soft cherry and smoky, balsamic strawberry fruit with hints of cherry wood spice. Soft on entry, though broad with a fine tissue like texture in the mouth. This delicately covers the palate, with subtly oozing cherry fruit and wild raspberry flavors that carry little stony tannins with them. Quite detailed in the mouth, this finishes cleanly with great length, slightly austere tannins, and lovely aromatic fruit, that shows more rose petal and a subtle edge of dried orange peel on the finish. This is very sexy in a subtle and refined way, with real persistence to the fruit. 90pts




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