Paolo Cottini Valpolicella Ripasso Classico Superiore 2017

Drink now through to 2029. No need to decant before serving.

Paolo Cottini’s family have been making wine for generations, and it his father, Silvano, who taught him how to make exceptional wines from the traditional grapes grown in the Valpolicella region. Now Paolo has founded his very own winery in the heart of Valpolicella, in the tiny medieval hilltop village of Castelrotto. Paolo’s vineyards are located in the Negrar Valley at an altitude of 580 metres and in Valgatara at 250 metres of altitude.

Here conditions are ideal for growing Corvina, Corvinone and Rondinella grapes which reach optimal ripeness but retain freshness thanks to the altitude and warm summer days. His Ripasso Classico Superiore is made according to the time-honoured technique “re-passing” the young Valpolicella wine over the used Amarone skins to add depth and an amazing concentration of flavour to the finished wine. The wine is then aged in 3000 litre casks for 15 months before bottling.

The result is a heady, incredibly complex red wine bursting with layers of dried fruits, jammy plum and cherry, dark chocolate and coffee notes. On the palate there is a rich full body, firm tannins and well-built structure which will help the wine age gracefully over the next 5 years or so.