The baby Amarone, done the old way. Two to three weeks on Amarone skins in Negrar.

Ripasso is the best value proposition in Italian wine, and this listing should explain why, because most customers do not know. Ripasso is a very old and traditional process used to give Valpolicella richness and body. After the Valpolicella is fermented in the usual way, it is placed in barrels containing the skins of Amarone, a concentrated wine made from semi dried grapes. At Carra the process runs two to three weeks, adding colour, tannin and complexity.

The name is literal. Ripasso means re-pass, or passed twice, because the wine passes over the skins and lees of its bigger, more complex brother, Amarone.

The origin story is pure peasant mischief, which makes great shelf talker copy. Legend has it the technique was developed in the Middle Ages by farmers who could not get hold of Amarone themselves, so they took the leftover Amarone skins from the landowners and mixed them with their own small wines to get something close to what the aristocracy was drinking.

For context on the style: Ripasso is not quite as powerful as Amarone but possesses many of the same qualities, which is why many call it a "baby Amarone," suited to more frequent drinking.

The blend and the site

60 to 70% Corvina, 20 to 30% Rondinella and 5 to 10% Molinara, from Negrar, on clay and limestone with a layer of stones under the first three feet.

Negrar is one of the five classic Valpolicella communes, and that stone layer under the topsoil is the drainage that keeps Corvina's acidity intact through a warm Veneto summer. The Molinara in the blend is a traditional touch many modern producers have dropped.

What Superiore means on this label

For a Valpolicella, Superiore requires a minimum of 12.5% alcohol and 14 months of ageing. So this is not the light, simple entry tier. It is the aged version.

Tasting notes, 2022

• Colour: deep ruby red with violet highlights
• Nose: elegant and complex, ripe berry and flowers, with the Amarone pass adding dried cherry and sweet spice
• Palate: full bodied and soft, with velvety tannins
• Finish: warm and long, with a faint bitter almond note in the classic Valpolicella way
• Drink: now through 2029
• Serve: 60 to 64°F, large bowled glass, 30 minutes open