Today’s wine is one of the most resolutely Italian wines there is. I’m sure other vintners around the world make wines in the
ripasso style, but for the most part, it’s a practice that belongs to Italy, and, more specifically, to the Valpolicella hills in the northeastern region of Veneto.
Meaning “re-passed” in Italian,
ripasso is when a finished wine is subjected to a second maceration on the skins and pulp of dried grapes. It grew out of another tradition unique to Valpolicella—the production of decadent, high-octane Amarone—and it’s the wine version of “using the whole animal.” Amarone is made from grapes that are dried for several months after harvest, and the skins and pulp of those ultra-concentrated grapes have a lot to give, even after the Amarone is finished fermenting; after they’ve ‘racked off’ the Amarone, many producers take a Valpolicella wine they made in the fall and put it in the tank with all the solids left over from the Amarone fermentation. The result is a velvety, more concentrated Valpolicella that borrows some of the chocolate-cherry richness of Amarone while holding onto its freshness and nerve. Some like to call it “baby Amarone,” but that’s not an appropriate moniker for Rubinelli Vajol’s silky and elegant ’14: Whereas many
ripassi can get pretty chunky, this one’s got the texture and aromatic intrigue of a voluptuous Russian River Pinot Noir. Whether it’s your first ripasso or merely your latest, I can tell you it’s one of the best examples I’ve ever had.
Like its neighbor, Soave, Valpolicella had plenty of name recognition a generation ago, but not much respect. It was successful but not serious, yet ironically, Amarone della Valpolicella has always been treated as an important, cellar-worthy wine. Even today, people are often surprised to learn that Amarone is from Valpolicella, which, like Soave, was expanded well past its traditional boundaries in the ’60s and ’70s as the international popularity of the wines soared. Quantity over quality was long the name of the game in Valpolicella, although it was also home to one of the towering greats of Italian wine, the late Giuseppe Quintarelli, whose eclectic range of Valpolicella reds (not always labeled with the DOC designation) came immediately to mind when I tasted Rubinelli Vajol’s 2014.
I know I’m being long-winded here, but it feels like Valpolicella needs an extra push, even though it’s a great terroir for wine—especially in its classic (classico) production zone, a band of north-south valleys that spill down towards Verona from the Monte Lessini, which are part of the eastern Alps (and form part of a natural border with the Trentino region). At the western edge of the Valpolicella Classico are the Adige River and Lake Garda, with vineyards spread over the hills of the Fumane, Marano, and Negrar Valleys, all of which run south to the Adige, which makes an abrupt turn east at Verona on its way to the Adriatic.
Rubinelli Vajol is so named for the Rubinelli family and the small hamlet of Vajol, which is part of the larger Valpolicella municipality of San Pietro in Cariano, right in the heart of the Classico zone. Soils here are a mix of calcareous (i.e. limestone-infused) clay and marl with pockets of basalt rock from ancient volcanic activity, with vineyards planted to the traditional grape varieties of the zone: Corvina (the principal grape in this blend), Rondinella, Molinara, Corvinone, and Oseleta. The Rubinelli Vajol property was originally acquired as a ‘country retreat’ by Gaetano Rubinelli, an engineer who helped build the Chievo Dam, a hydroelectric plant on the Adige River, in the 1920s. The current generation of Rubinellis make just five traditional wines from 10 hectares of vineyards: the sweet, dried-grape Recioto della Valpolicella; its dry sibling, Amarone; today’s Ripasso; and two ‘regular’ Valpolicellas.
Today’s 2014 is a voluptuous, perfectly realized
ripasso—it has great energy and purity with just the right dash of chocolatey richness from its second maceration/fermentation. For the initial fermentation, the Corvina (50%) and other varieties were harvested at optimal ripeness and dried for about a month before pressing; later, in February, that wine was re-macerated on the skins and pulp of their Amarone, then aged 24 months in large, used oak vats. In the glass, it’s a dense ruby-purple with magenta highlights, with aromas of brandied cherries, blackberries, violets, licorice, dark chocolate, tobacco, and baking spices carrying over to a rich, velvet-textured palate. The magic of this wine is that it is full-bodied without feeling heavy or sweet, with a terrific wave of freshness that lends energy and aromatic length to the finish. The interesting thing about drying grapes—rather than leaving them on the vine to become over-ripe—is that the sugars and flavors are concentrated without a corresponding lack of acidity. It’s a fascinating thing to contemplate as you taste this wine, which is sumptuous and ready to go right now and over the next few years. Decant it about 30-45 minutes before serving at 60 degrees in large Burgundy bowls; its well-calibrated touch of Amarone-like richness will make it a good partner to braised and grilled meats. The first thing I thought of when I encountered its tangle of sweet/spicy/savory was some rubbed/sauced baby back ribs. What a crazy-delicious combination. Let’s give it a try!
