Crosarola Valpolicella Ripasso 2021 750ml

$29.99

Crosarola is a young estate with old roots: Sebastiano Righetti's family has farmed in Casterna, deep in Valpolicella Classica, since his great-grandparents' day, and he built this winery himself in 2000 after years in the wine trade. The Ripasso is Corvina, Corvinone and Rondinella re-fermented on Amarone skins, the classic Valpolicella move that adds weight and dried-fruit depth to a lighter base wine. Classico Superiore means the grapes come from the historic heartland. This is the bottle for people who want Amarone's richness without Amarone's price tag or its two-hour decant.

Fig, prune and blackberry on the nose with a hint of cola. Fruit-forward palate of cherry, black plum and fig, a touch of pepper and chocolate on the finish, moderate tannins keep it balanced rather than heavy.

Steak tartare, aged cheese and game are the classic matches for this style of Ripasso.

Sebastiano Righetti founded Crosarola in 2000 on land his family has farmed in Casterna since the early 1900s, choosing to keep the winemaking small and hands-on rather than scale up the historic family plots.