Tinazzi Ripasso Superiore 2021

Alcohol: 14%

Grape(s): 80% Corvina, 10% Corvinone, 10% Rondinella

Localization: Valpolicella Ripasso, Italy

Tasting Notes: Deep bright red. Ample with mainly red fruits, especially sour cherries, prunes and cherries. Strong flavour. Balanced, soft tannins with good persistence

The Domain: Tinazzi’s Valpolicella Ripasso Superiore is part of its Collezione di Famiglia portfolio. This wine is made in the Ripasso style with the finished Valpolicella wine “passed over” the pomace (grape skins, seeds and pulp) left over from the recent fermentation of the estate’s Amarone wine. The process of adding (or “repassing”) the lighter Valpolicella wine over the remainders of the “bigger” Amarone wine adds additional richness and depth to the original Valpolicella wine. The process has proved so successful and Ripasso wines have become so popular that Ripasso was awarded its own DOC. The Superiore designation indicates that the wine has been aged for at least one year and has a minimum alcohol level of 12 percent. The minimum ageing and alcohol requirements create a more complex and engaging wine than regular Valpolicella with more prominent aromas, evolved flavors and greater texture. Tinazzi’s Valpolicella Ripasso Superiore is a traditional Valpolicella blend of primarily Corvina with some Rondinella and Corvinone from selected estate vineyards. The grapes are macerated and fermented at controlled temperatures. At the end of December, the wine is “passed-over” the pomace of the estate’s recently-fermented Amarone where it undergoes a second fermentation and acquires more body and complexity.