A high quality red wine from one of Italy's top producers.
Aromas of dried cherry and dark plums are followed by hints of mocha and dark chocolate on the nose. A powerful, full-bodied palate opens with a spiced fruit character and supportive tannins. Raisin and candied peel notes come from the 'ripasso' method and are layered with rounded, ripe cherry flavours. The finish is long with added spicy nutmeg notes.
The Torre del Falasco wines are the standard bearers of this co-operative, situated in the Valpantena, northeast of Verona. Known as the 'valley of god' to the ancient Greeks, this area is well-known for its high quality red wines, due partly to the soils but also because of the cool breeze that blows down the valley from the foothills of the Dolomites. Run by Luca Degani since 1995, the Cantina di Valpantena is now one of Italy's best co-operatives, with 700 hectares of vineyard producing excellent quality fruit.
The grapes for the Valpolicella Ripasso are grown on the flat vineyards belonging to the co-operative that lie just off the Verona hills, where soils are chalky and poor. The vines are Guyot trained and sit 100 - 300 metres above sea level. The wine is a blend of two traditional Valpolicella varieties.
After the grapes were dry, they were destemmed and crushed, then fermented in temperature-controlled, stainless-steel tanks at 22-28°C. Maceration lasted 10 days. Once fermentation was complete, a second fermentation took place on the skins of the Torre del Falasco Amarone in the traditional 'ripasso' method. The wine was then filtered and clarified before being aged for two years in stainless-steel barrels.
Delicious with roast pork, wild boar, meaty sausages or beef, mature cheese, salami, and game.
