TOP 100 WINES OF ITALY suckling: My favorite Valpos include the Tedeschi Valpolicella Lucchine 2022, the Bertani Valpolicella Classico Le Miniere di Novare Bertani Cru 2021 and, above all, the Rubinelli Vajol Valpolicella Classico Superiore 2019, which comes from a producer that is arguably the new superstar of the style. All are examples of bright, transparent wines that will light up any table by virtue of their freshness and transparency.
Ripasso is a growing curio of a category, its method of production bifurcated and shifting depending on the producer (I will have more on Ripassos in my coming report on Veneto). For Amarone, while some expressions feel more synonymous with eating, Bertani’s paradigm shift under winemaker Andrea Lonardi, from a style that felt fusty throughout the 1990s and early- to mid-2000s, to one of poise, freshness and pixelated detail, is a joy to behold. The Bertani Amarone della Valpolicella Classico 2001 is merely a hint of what to expect in coming vintages. I also like the redder fruit profile and pungent mineral undercarriage of the Tedeschi Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Capitel Monte Olmi Riserva 2016.