Tenuta Santa Maria di Gaetano Bertani Valpolicella Ripasso Superiore Classico 2018

Corvina 75%, Rondinella 10%, Corvinone 15%

This elegant and complex valpolicella continues the family tradition of themethod, used in the 1850s. The style is a consistent expression of the indigenous Corvina, Rondinella and Corvinone grapes andof the area. The Ripasso method is delicately achieved conducting a secondary extended maceration and fermentation over the Amarone grape skins, giving the wine higher complexity, bolder and softer body, and intense color.

With notes reminiscent of the Amarone, the wine is a vivid ruby red color. At the nose, intense hints of cherry, blueberry, licorice and lingering accents of cinnamon and pepper. At the palate, soft and warm structured velvet tannins and a very balanced acidity. Long finish with fruity sensations.

Around the middle of October and following the Amarone harvest, the grape clusters are hand-selected at our Arbizzano di Negrar estate, in the heart of the Valpolicella Classica zone. The grapes are crushed, cold-pressed and left to ferment for 25-30 days at a controlled temperature with daily punch downs. When fermentation is complete, the wine is held in steel tanks awaiting to be poured over the marc produced by Amarone, which occurs during the period of late January to mid-February. This ripasso process involves a second maceration and fermentation, in which the wine acquires a complexity given by the typical aromas of dried grapes, a superior structure and elegance which the soft tannins create. After the pressing, the decanting follows, at which point the wine is left in oak barrels where malolactic fermentation takes place. After a period of 24 months, the wine is placed in bottles for at least six months’ further refinement.

96 Points – Decanter World Wine Awards
98 Points – Luca Maroni
93 Points – Falstaff Valpolicella Trophy
92 Points – James Suckling
91 Points – Gilbert & Gaillard