Valpolicella Ripasso Santambrogio Classico Superiore DOC

Vineyard and terroir

The grapes grow on the hills of Sant'Ambrogio in Veneto. Vines of the principal varieties are 28–40 years old, while those supplying the local native varieties are over 50 years old.

Grapes

Local native varieties account for 15% of the blend.

Vinification

The grapes are destemmed and pressed on arrival at the winery. Fermentation takes place on the skins in temperature-controlled tanks, with gentle punching down of the cap to extract aromas and colour without additional pressing. After this initial fermentation, naturally sugar-rich pomace from Recioto and Amarone production is added to the wine for the Ripasso process, intensifying its flavour and aroma.

Ageing

At the beginning of spring, the wine is racked and matured in large barrels for approximately 18 months before filtration and bottling.

Vintage notes

Spring 2018 began quite cool in Valpolicella, before temperatures rose sharply at the end of April. Heavy rain was frequent, and the early summer remained relatively cool and wet; continued rainfall flooded some vineyards. The harvest began only three to four days earlier than usual. The grapes showed high polyphenol levels and good acidity, while the crop was larger than in most years of the preceding decade.